Within the UAE, it is recorded from the Ru'us al-Jibal at two specific sites: Wadi Naqab (Ras Al Khaimah) and Jebel Yibir (Feulner 2011). These localities can be found as 250 m and 1,200 m altitude, respectively (Feulner 2011). Including S. arenosa, the species range extends to the sandy desert of eastern Dubai (Jongbloed et al. 2003). This species is native to Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, it is thought to be recorded from the Hajar Mountains and the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It has been observed at altitudes up to 1,600 m in the Ru'us al-Jibal (Feulner 2011). Globally, the native range of this species spans from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019), including Socotra.

Within the UAE, a single plant of this species was recorded from Wadi Khabb Shamsi in the Ru'us al-Jibal at high elevations (Feulner 2011, 2014), although it is not clear if this record is from within the UAE or from Oman. It is also known to occur in the Hatta area (MEW 2010) and to the south, in the Jebel Akhdar, Oman (Feulner 2011). The material from the Hajar Mountains in Oman is referable to A. leptocladus, differing from the more robust A. serpyllifolia L. in its distribution and habitat, the latter typically a field weed or a mountain plant (S. Ghazanfar pers. comm. 2019). In Oman it is found at high altitudes (900-2,500 m). This species is native to temperate Eurasia and Africa (MEW 2010, Board of Trustees RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, it has only been recorded from Jebel Fayyah (Jongbloed et al. 2003) and associated ridges. Globally, this species' native range spans across the tropical and subtropical Old World (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

The distribution of this species within the UAE is not well understood. Jongbloed et al. (2003) recorded it from one locality at Qarn Nazwa, and D. Aplin (pers. comm. 2019) recorded the species (i.d. S. Neale RBGE) from the upper parts of Wadi Sahm (Fujairah) at c.600 m elevation. G.R. Brown has seen the species only once, and considers the species to be restricted to limestone areas in the east of the UAE. There is possible confusion and taxonomic uncertainty between this species and other members of the group. Globally, the native range of this species spans from Tanzania to the Sahara and to Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

The identity of records of this species in the UAE are uncertain and its distribution is not known. Jongbloed et al. (2003) refer to the species without locality data. R.A. Western (<a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00558683"">RBGE Herbarium</a>) collected the species from a plantation near Al Ain and commented that the species is ""common throughout country, even on Abu Dhabi Island."" S. Ghazanfar (pers. comm. 2019) considers it to be a synonym of Heliotropium bacciferum. The global range of this species is across northern Africa, through the Arabian Peninsula (including the UAE), to Iran and Central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

There is only one record of this species which is from Wadi Farfar (Jongbloed et al. 2003) in the northeast of the UAE. In Africa, this species ranges from South Africa to south-western Ethiopia and through the Arabian Peninsula. It has also been recorded from India and Sri Lanka (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018). GRIN (2019) only lists its occurrence within Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula.

Within the UAE it has been recorded from the Hatta area, in the northeast of the country (Böer and Chaudhary 1999). Globally, the native range of this species spans from Hungary to Somalia and the western Himalayas (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

There is little information available for this species in terms of distribution in the UAE, however, Tamarix aucheriana is considered to occur in saline areas within the country. Globally, this species is native to northern Africa and temperate Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). Plants of the World Online doesn't list the UAE as a native country of occurrence for this species, and Norton et al. (2009) state that this species is not found in other Gulf States except for Qatar.

In the UAE, this species was collected by M. Jongbloed from along the Dubai-Al Ain road (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The draft Red Data Book (MEW 2010) considered that all material identified as T. megistopterus is referable to T. pentandrus. Plants of the World Online (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019) considers the species to be endemic to the Arabian Peninsula (Gulf States and Oman), whilst the African Plant Database (AFD 2019) considers it to also be present in north-east Africa.