This is a widespread species in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003) in the eastern UAE, including in Dubai, Al Ain, Sharjah, Ajman and R'as al-Khaimah (Karim and Dakheel 2006), and south to Jebel Hafeet (Wadi Tarabat; Brown 2005). Al Meharibi et al. (2019) show a distribution throughout the Hajar Mountains in the eastern UAE, to the east coast. The species is also recorded from Wadi Helo (El-Keblawy et al. 2016), and from the Ru'us al Jibal, although confusion with other species of Cymbopogon is possible (Feulner 2011), and it is uncertain if records are from parts of the Ru'us al-Jibal within the UAE. The overall distribution is uncertain as this species is easily confused with C. schoenanthus, and Feulner (2016) considered only the latter species to be present in Wadi Wurayah. The global distribution of this species extends from West Africa (Senegal and Mauritania) to north-eastern and eastern tropical Africa, to the Arabian Peninsula and ad north India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

This species is common along the northern Arabian Gulf coast from Taweela in Abu Dhabi Emirate to Ra's al Khaimah (Brown et al. 2007, Al Mehairbi et al. 2019) and it has also been recorded from the eastern coast at Dibba (Jongbloed et al. 2003, MEW 2010). Al Mehairbi et al. (2019) show presence along the Abu Dhabi coast, and inland in the Emirate in oases, wet sabkha and brackish areas. The global distribution of this species is from Macaronesia and south-east Spain across to Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

This species has been recorded on sand and in urban gardens in the UAE, as well as from offshore islands (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The species is absent from the Ru'us al-Jibal but is common in the Western Hajar Mountains of the Musandam Peninsula (Feulner 2011). RBG Edinburgh Herbarium holds records from <a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00357529"">Al Ain</a> (Coll. L. Boulos and Al-Hasan, 1986; Al Ain Hotel garden and adjacent irrigated areas), <a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00357530"">Khor Fakkan</a> (Coll. L. Boulos and Al-Hasan, 1986; hotel garden near sea shore), <a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00357531"">Nachali Oasis</a>, Dubai (Coll. R.C. Hardwick, 1979; irrigated area), and <a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00357537"">Abu Dhabi old town</a> (Coll. R.A. Western, 1982; abandoned camel stables). Plants of the World online (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019) consider the native range of this species to be the tropical and subtropical Old World, from western Africa to East Asia. However other sources disagree; GRIN (2019) consider the origin of the species to be obscure but it to be widely naturalised in the tropics and subtropics. <a href=""https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/chloris_barbata.htm"">Weeds of Australia </a>consider it to most likely native to Central and South America or perhaps south-east Asia. Norton et al. (2009) considered it to be introduced to Qatar.

This is widespread species found throughout the UAE (MEW 2010), although apparently absent east of the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003), and Al Mehairbi et al. (2019) show it to be absent from central areas of the Arabian Gulf coast (perhaps as a result of habitat conversion) and from the far west. The native range of this species is from the Sahara to Central Asia and south-west Iran (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

In the UAE, the species has been recorded in wadi beds in the Wadi Wurayah National Park (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019) and a ravine on the slopes of Jebel Qitab in the UAE (Feulner 2016), in addition to being recorded once from Jebel Masafi (Jongbloed et al. 2003). These records are from a range of elevations (Feulner 2014). The species is likely to be present in all wadi areas south of the Ru'us al-Jibal (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019), but has been overlooked. Globally, this species occurs in North Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan and India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

Bromus madritensis is found in the Ru'us al-Jibal, although the localities shown in Jongbloed et al. (2003) are outside the UAE. It is also reported from Wadi Wurayah National Park (Jongbloed et al. 2003; Feulner 2011, 2016), and from wadi slopes in Wadi Ghalilah in northern R'as al Khaimah (Sharjah Seedbank & Herbarium). Fawzi and Karim (2007) mention this species from the Al Ain region, but this requires confirmation. The species is likely under-recorded and probably has a wider distribution than shown. Globally, this species occurs in North Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

Within the UAE, this species is known to occur in the Wadi Wurayah National Park and in the Ru'us al-Jibal (Judas 2016). It is considered to be restricted to this general area, in addition to typically growing at high elevations only (Judas 2016). In the mountains, the species is generally found from c.700 m elevation. Globally, the native range of this species spans from Turkey to Tibet, encompassing the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, this species is distributed widely across most of the eastern Emirates (Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Umm al-Quwain and Ras al-Khaimah) and is present in the northern-most parts of Abu Dhabi Emirate (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Al Meharibi et al. 2019). The species is present in Wadi Wurayah (Feulner 2016) and through the Ru'us al-Jibal from c.100 m to at least c.1,400 m asl (Feulner 2011). The species is also recorded from Jebel Hafeet (including Wadi Tarabat; Western 1982, Fawzi and Ksiksi 2012). Globally, this species is widely distributed across the southern USA, Central and South America, Africa, southern Europe and much of Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

These plants are widespread along the Arabian Gulf coast as well as in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Additionally, it occurs in Ru'us al-Jibal and at Jebel Hafeet (Feulner 2011, Sakkir and Brown 2014). This species has been recorded at elevations of up to around 1,650 m (Feulner 2011). Outside the Arabian Peninsula, it is native to Africa and from the Mediterranean to Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

In the UAE, the species occurs in the southern Hajar Mountains and on Jebel Hafeet (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The species is absent from the Ru'us al-Jibal (Feulner 2011). There is a single historical record of two plants from a tributary of mid-Wadi Zikt in the Wadi Wurayah National Park buffer zone (Feulner 2016). Gillet (2006) recorded the species from Wadi Khutwa near Al Ain, but it is uncertain if this record is from within the UAE. In the Arabian Peninsula, the species is known from Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen (Hjertson 1995), and the United Arab Emirates (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The global range of this species is from the eastern Mediterranean to through Egypt to north-east Africa, and through the Arabian Peninsula to Thailand (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).