Umbrella thorn acacia

Samr is native to arid and semi-arid Africa and the Middle East, including the Arabian Peninsula, growing on alkaline sandy or rocky soils up to 1,000 m.

According to Kew's World Checklist, samr is native to Saudi Arabia, Yemen (including Socotra), Oman, the Arabian Gulf states, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt (including Sinai); in North Africa, to Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Nigeria, Senegal, and Burkina Faso; and in eastern and southern Africa, to Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa. It is introduced in India, Pakistan, and Madagascar.