This species is widespread in the eastern part of the UAE, including the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). It is recorded as occurring at a wide range of altitudes to c. 1,600 m elevation (Feulner 2011). It occurs along ridgetops in Olive Highlands (Feulner 2014) and is common in Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP; Feulner 2016). The global distribution of this species extends from Macaronesia to the Indian subcontinent (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). It is extinct in Greece and has been introduced to Central America, Australia (New South Wales), Mauritius and Rodrigues Island (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019, CABI 2019).

The species is found at high elevations in the Ru'us al-Jibal, from c.800 m to at least 1,800 m (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011, M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). It has been recorded in Ras al Khaimah from a farmed area on a high elevation mountain plateau on Jebel Jais (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). It is a ruderal species (Feulner 2011) whose origin in the UAE requires confirmation; it may be a temperate species that is native to the higher elevation in the UAE, or may be introduced. The global distribution of this species is circum-Mediterranean, through the Arabian Peninsula (although the UAE is not listed) to the western Himalaya and Central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018, GRIN 2019).

Within the UAE this species is found at high elevations in the Ru'us al-Jibal, usually above 1,000 m but found from 700 m to 1,450 m (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). There are unconfirmed records from the Jebel Jais plateau and from Olive Wadi (Sfai); M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). Globally, this species is distributed from the Arabian Peninsula through West and Central Asia as far north as Kazakhstan and as far east as western China (Board of Trustees, RGB Kew 2018).

The species is widespread in the Hajar mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003) and is also found in Ru'us al-Jibal, at elevations of up to 1,450 m (Feulner 2011). This plant species has also been recorded in off-shore islands of Abu Dhabi (Sakkir et al. 2017). This species is globally distributed from Macaronesia to South West Italy and India, North East and East Tropical Africa (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, this species occurs widely in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003), with specific records from the Ru'us al-Jibal (Feulner 2011) and the buffer zone (upper Wadi Siji) of Wadi Wurayah National Park (Feulner 2016). The species has also been recorded from the summit of Jebel Hafeet (<a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00357622"">RBG Edinburgh Herbarium specimen; coll. R. Western, 1983</a>). Al Meharibi et al. (2019) show presence on Jebel Hafeet only. Globally this species occurs in North Africa, The Middle East and Central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

This species is widespread across the entire UAE, especially along roadsides (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Al Mehairbi et al. 2019). Globally, this species occurs from the Sahara and North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, to Central Asia and India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

In the UAE this species is recorded from various widespread locations (Jongbloed et al. 2003), including Jebel Hafeet, Hatta and Mafraq. The species is apparently absent from the draft Red Data Book for the UAE (MEW 2010) and from Al Mehairbi et al. (2019). The global range of this species spreads across northern Africa to Ethiopia, through the Arabian Peninsula and north to Syria, with records from Pakistan and southern Africa (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

In the UAE, this species is known from Wadi Wurayah (Feulner 2016) and the southern Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Globally, the species is distributed across much of Africa, through the Arabian Peninsula, to Iran and Iraq (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species has been found to occur in Baynunah (Jongbloed et al. 2003, MEW 2010) in Abu Dhabi Emirate. It was first recorded by Böer and Chaudhary (1999). This species native range is from Iraq to the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018) and the Middle East (Jordan, Israel).

This species was recorded from Fujairah on the east coast of the UAE by Jongbloed et al. (2003). The identity of the species requires confirmation, as it may instead refer to S. hirtigluma (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019). The species occurs to the south in adjacent parts of Oman (G.R. Feulner, in litt, MEW 2010). M. Tsaliki (pers. comm. 2019) has a coastal record from Jazirah Al Hamra, R'as al Khaimah. UAE records are very scattered and possibly uncertain; G.R. Feulner (pers. comm. 2019) has found it to be locally common in mountain front areas of Oman close to Al Ain. Globally, this species occurs in northern and southern Africa, the Middle East and east to Central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).