The flowers are 15–28 mm (0.59–1.10 in) in diameter with sepals and petals, usually purple in colour and, uniquely among Aquilegia species, lacking a nectar spur.

[5] There is some evidence that the species may be polyphyletic and in fact consist of two lineages that independently evolved a spurless form.

[7] Aquilegia ecalcarata is endemic to central China, found in Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and eastern Tibet.

[5] Although its habitat overlaps with that of Aquilegia incurvata and A. yabeana, the species have different pollinators and therefore have remained distinct and do not hybridize, an example of sympatric speciation.

[8] As its synonym Semiaquilegia ecalcarata it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.