It is native to central Asia, with a range spanning Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Nepal, and Tibet.

[2]: 51  Aquilegia moorcroftiana was first described by British botanist John Forbes Royle in 1834 in his book Illustrations of the Botany and Other Branches of the Natural History of the Himalayan Mountains and of the Flora of Cashmere.

The botanist Robert Nold noted in 2003 that political circumstances meant that the species would "probably remain nothing but names for years to come".

[2]: 104 The native range of A. moorcroftiana is found in central Asia, spanning Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Nepal, and Tibet.

[2]: 102 A. moorcroftiana is thought to be the most common species of Aquilegia in the southwestern portion of the Karakoram mountains.