This species is widespread through the Hajar Mountains in the eastern UAE, with additional records from Jebel Hafeet (Jongbloed et al. 2003), north to R'as al-Khaimah, where it is found on the alluvial plain (Western 1983). The species occurs within the 'Olive Highlands' of the southern Hajar Mountains (Feulner 2014), within Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP; Judas 2016), and occurs throughout the UAE part of the Ru'us al-Jibal to at least 1,600 m (Feulner 2011). The global range of this species is around much of the southern Mediterranean basin to the north-east and east of Africa, through the Arabian Peninsula to Iran and Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). The species has been widely introduced and naturalised.

This species is known from few records in the UAE. Jongbloed et al. (2003) cite two records by R.A. Western from coastal areas of Ajman and Umm al Quwain (<a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00043043"">RBGE Herbarium</a>; R.A. Western; 1985, ""Umm al Quwain to Moola Road""). <a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00043042"">RBGE</a> also hold a specimen (K. Müller-Hohenstein 1986) from dunes near Al Awir (Dubai). G. Brown (pers. comm. 2019) has only seen the species once in the UAE, near coastal sandsheets in Umm Al Quwain. R.A Western collected the species from ""Ruus al Jibal summit"" in 1985 (Western 1985), precise locality not known and possibly not within the UAE. The estimated EOO of this species is 2340 km²and it is considered to occur at fewer then 10 threat-based locations. The global range of this species is through the Arabian Peninsula to Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, this species is relatively widespread in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003) and also occurs on Jebel Hafeet (Sakkir and Brown 2013). The species occurs in the southern Ru'us al-Jibal to c. 1,150 m (Feulner 2011). The species occurs in Wado Helo (El-Keblawy et al. 2016) and is known from the Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP) from a single specimen in Wadi Zikt (Feulner 2016). The global range of this species is from Spain, across northern Africa, and through the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, this species is widespread in the Hajar Mountains and also occurs on Jebel Hafeet (RGBE Herbarium (<a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00377490"">lower slopes, coll. R.A. Western, 1982</a>), Jongbloed et al. 2003, Fawzi and Ksiksi 2012). The species occurs rarely in the Ru'us al-Jibal to c. 600 m (Feulner 2011) and in the Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP; Feulner 2016). The global range of this species is from Israel and Palestine in the eastern Mediterranean and through the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species is widespread in the Hajar Mountains and Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011), and also occurs on Jebel Hafeet (<a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00377085"">RBGE Herbarium</a>; coll. J.N.B. Brown, west side of the mountain, 1983). The global range of this species is across northern Africa, the eastern Mediterranean, and through the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species is widespread in the Hajar Mountains and Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011), and also occurs on Jebel Hafeet (RBGE Herbarium; coll. J.N.B. Brown, west side of the mountain, 1983). It has been recorded at altitudes up to 1,350 m (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). The global range of this species is the eastern Mediterranean to the Arabian Peninsula to Iran (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species is widespread throughout sand desert (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Globally, the native range of this species spans from the eastern Mediterranean to the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

The presence of this species in the UAE is not yet confirmed, although presence in parts of the Ru'us al-Jibal close to Oman is possible as suitable habitat occurs at similar elevations (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019), and S. Ghazanfar (pers. comm. 2019) reports that there is a specimen at held at RBG Kew from the UAE. Feulner (2011) recorded the species from a site in the Ru'us al-Jibal of Oman (Awshaq basin and As-Sayh/As-Saye plain) to the northeast of the Sahasa plain, on slopes beside the open upper reaches of a wadi below Jebel Harim and Ra's Mintera (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019). Other records found from the area are: (1) Patzelt et al. (2014; rocky limestone plateau; 1,450 m, northern Oman: Musandam, Jebel Harim, Sahil Al Sahosa (Sahasa plain)), and (2) <a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00903483"">RBGE Herbarium</a> (coll. A. Patzelt, 2014, 1,433 m, silty area on Sahasa plateau, Jebel Harim area). The global range of this species is from Egypt (Sinai), through the Arabian Peninsula (although not recorded for the UAE), to Iran and Pakistan and north to Central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, this species is restricted to the Ru'us al Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003), where it was first recorded for the UAE at Wadi Beh (Böer and Chaudhary 1999). Feulner (2011) recorded the species from c. 250 m to at least 1,200 m elevation in wadis. Shahid (2017) recorded the species from Wadi Ghalilah (Ra's al-Khaimah). The EOO, based on the map from Jongbloed et al. (2003) and the records from Shahid (2017), is highly restricted, at less than 200 km². The AOO is a maximum of c. 180 km² but is likely to be very much less. The global range of this species is circum-Mediterranean, extending to north-east Africa, through much of the Arabian Peninsula, and on to Iran and Iraq (Plants of the World online, Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, it has been recorded from the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003), although this occurrence is now considered uncertain and may refer to one or more other Galium species (Feulner 2011, 2016) and its presence in the country requires confirmation. The species has not been confirmed from Oman, with a record from there requiring confirmation (S. Ghazanfar pers. comm. 2019). Globally, the native range of this species spans across Europe, to the Arabian Peninsula and to the western Himalayas (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).