This rare species has been recorded by Jongbloed from the foothills of the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003) and is considered to be restricted to this area (Feulner 2011). The global distribution of this species is from the north-east and east of tropical Africa, to the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan and north-west India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

This species is known from a single record in Wadi Limarit on the eastern slopes of the Hajar Mountains in Fujairah, southeast of Masafi; the locality given in Jongbloed et al. (2003) is incorrect (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019). The distribution in the UAE is certainly under-recorded. Globally, this species has a wide distribution from southern Africa to Nepal (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018). It occurs in adjacent parts of the Hajar Mountains in Oman (Jongbloed et al. 2003).

In the UAE, the species is only known from Liwa (Ramlat al Hamra and Saruq) (Ghazanfar and Osborne 2015). The global distribution of this species ranges from north-east Africa (Ethiopia, Sudan, to eastern Egypt), to the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen, Saudi Arabia, UAE) and southern Israel (Negev, Arava valley) (Ghazanfar and Osborne 2015), and is perhaps also present in Jordan.

In the UAE, this species is found in low-lying saline areas, primarily in Dubai and Sharjah emirates, and to the southwest of Al Ain (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Karim and Dakheel (2006) list occurrence in Ain, Dubai, Sharjah, Dhaid, Jebel al-Dhanna and Umm al-Quwain. It is also recorded from Hatta and Ras al-Khaimah (Sharjah Seed Bank and Herbarium pers. comm. 2019). The species is used as an ornamental plant in gardens and along roadsides. Plants of the World Online (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019) considers this species to be endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, with records from the Gulf States, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, however the holotype is from Iran (<a href=""https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/p/item/p00704167?listIndex=1&listCount=10"">MNHN</a>), with additional records from <a href=""https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/p/item/p04958256?listIndex=6&listCount=10"">Egypt </a>and <a href=""https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/p/item/p00704170?listIndex=5&listCount=10"">Iraq</a>.

The distribution of this species in the UAE is uncertain due to potential confusion with other members of the genus. The species is absent from Jongbloed et al. (2003), however their record of Reseda arabica from the base of Jebel Hafeet may refer to R. muricata (MEW 2010). Feulner (2016) considered only R. aucheri to be present in Wadi Wurayah National Park. Mahmoud et al. (2018) found the species on gravel plains in their study along the Hajar Mountains in the UAE. Sharjah Seedbank & Herbarium hold a specimen from a garden in Wadi-Al Helo; it is uncertain if this specimen is native or cultivated. The species is native to Egypt and Asia-Temperate (eastern Mediterranean, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula; Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species has been recorded from the base of Jebel Hafeet (Jongbloed et al. 2003). However, this is considered to be an unconfirmed record as the plant may actually have been Reseda muricata (MEW 2010). More recently, around 6 individuals were found to occur in Al Ain, within a wadi at the base of Jebel Hafeet (Sharjah Seed Bank and Herbarium pers. comm. 2019). Globally, the native range of this species spans across northern Africa to the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

This species has been recorded from scattered locations in the Ru'us al-Jibal (Western 1989, Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). In that area it has been recorded at high elevations up to around 1,500 m (Feulner 2011). It was also recorded as 'rare' in the Al-Ain area (Fawzi and Karim 2007). Although Plants of the World Online lists the UAE as a native country of occurrence for this species (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019), a more detailed distribution of this species within the country is lacking. The species is not recorded from Oman, and the identity of records from the UAE require confirmation (S. Ghazanfar pers. comm. 2019). Globally, the native range of this species extends from Spain across northern Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE this species has been recorded from the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Records include Jebel Jais at high elevations (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) of this species is 50-100 km², and the AOO is likely to be very restricted (much less than 500 km², but more than 10 km²). However, the species is likely to be under recorded and the habitat type is not well surveyed.Globally, this is a broadly distributed species and is found across the western and southern half of Europe, extending southwards and eastwards to North Africa, Yemen, Djibouti, India and China (Christenhusz et al. 2017, Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

The distribution and origin of this species in the UAE is uncertain. <a href=""http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00262941"">RBGE Herbarium</a> holds one specimen from Al Khazna on the Abu Dhabi - Al Ain road (from cultivated garden; coll. R.A. Western, 1984). MEW (2010) considered the species ""not common"", restricted as a weed to plantations, without distribution data. Jongbloed et al. (2003) cite presence in Al Ain and Ghail. A wild individual has also been recorded from Masafi. The global range of this species is from the Caucasus to Central Asia and the western Himalayas, and south to Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species has been recorded from Wadi Diftah in the northeast of the country (Jongbloed et al. 2003), from Wadi Al Ain (Sharjah Seedbank & Herbarium), and from Wadi Wurayah National Park (Feulner 2016). Globally, the native range of this species spans from Macaronesia to the Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula, and east to Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). It has been recorded from adjacent countries in the Arabian Peninsula, including from Al Wajajah in Wadi Hatta, Oman, close to the border with the UAE.