This species is known from wadis within the Hajar Mountains and has also been recently been recorded from Jebel Hafeet (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Sakkir and Brown 2014). In addition, it is thought to have been artificially planted in the Liwa region and has been recorded on offshore islands of Abu Dhabi (no specific localities are given), which may also be the result of artificial planting (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Sakkir et al. 2017). Due to its range, it is possible that the natural occurrence of this species, within the Hajar Mountain range, actually lies across the border in Oman, rather than in the UAE specifically (G.R. Feulner, in litt, MEW 2010). Globally, the native range of this species spans from the Sahara to India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species has only been recorded from Wadi Bih (Böer and Chaudhary 1999, cited in Feulner 2011). Globally, the native range of this species extends from the Mediterranean and northern Africa to Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, Feulner (2011) reported the species from higher altitudes (1,500 m) in the Ru'us al-Jibal. The species appears to have a disjunct global range, with occurrences in Sinai, the Arabian Peninsula (Oman and saudi Arabia, UAE not listed), Turkey and Syria, and then Central Asia cited by Plants of the World Online (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019), whilst Chamberlain (1996) restricted the species to south-west Asia (Oman and Saudi Arabia).

This halophytic species is found in scattered locations throughout the UAE (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The origin of the species in the UAE requires confirmation; whilst GRIN (2019) considers it to be native to the UAE, others consider (Anum et al. 2018, Xu 2019) it to be native to Africa. The global distribution of this species is from Africa to Israel and the Arabian Peninsula, and from Pakistan to India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). Globally, it is a widespread introduced ruderal invasive weed of crops and cultivated areas.

This species is mentioned in the draft Red Data Book of the UAE (MEW 2010) as unconfirmed. Two specimens, collected in 1986, from the UAE are held at the University of Vienna Herbarium (WU); the foothill area of Jebel Milaya, Sharjah (<a href=""https://herbarium.univie.ac.at/database/detail.php?ID=910470"">UBT0004415</a>) and from near Al Awir, Dubai (<a href=""https://herbarium.univie.ac.at/database/detail.php?ID=910462"">UBT0004414</a>). The identity and origin of the records of this species in the UAE require confirmation. Globally, this species is considered to be native to eastern Spain, Italy (Sicilia), and Malta in Europe, and in Africa from North Africa and the Sahara (Anthos 2019, Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species is known to occur in the high Ru'us al-Jibal (Feulner 2011) above 1,000 m elevation (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019). The species has also been recorded from the upper parts of Wadi Siji in the Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP) buffer zone, and it is also thought to also occur in WWNP itself. Globally, this species' native range encompasses Macaronesia, Europe, western Asia and the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

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).

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).

In the UAE, this species has been recorded once in the Diftah Oasis in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It has also been recorded from the Musandam Peninsula in Oman (Feulner 2011). Globally Rostraria cristata occurs in North Africa, Southern Europe, France, the Middle East, Central Asia and India. It has been introduced the parts of North America, South America, South Africa, Japan and Australia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).

This species has been recorded from a single locality in the UAE, in the northern Ru'us al-Jibal (Jebel Rahabah) at around 1,250 m elevation (Feulner 2011). Globally, the native range of this species spans across Europe and Macaronesia to Cape Province, in addition to China and the Himalayas (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). It has been very widely introduced.