Oreomecon rubroaurantiaca is native to southern Siberia, Mongolia and northeastern China. It grows mostly in subalpine and subarctic zones where few other plants survive. Botanists previously placed it in the genus Papaver as Papaver rubroaurantiacum, until genetic studies in 2022 led to its transfer to the newly established genus Oreomecon. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek oros (‘mountain’) and mecon (‘poppy’), referring directly to its high-altitude habitat.