The maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model for predicting the potential suitable habitat of species has been commonly employed in many ecological and biological applications by using presence-only occurrence records along with associated environmental factors. Parnassia wightiana, a perennial herb, is a cold-adapted plant distributed across three diversity hotspots in China, including the Hengduan Range, Central China and the Lingnan region. The MaxEnt model was used to simulate the historic, current and future distribution trends of P. wightiana, as well as to analyse its distribution pattern in each historical period and explore the causes of species distribution changes. The results of our analysis indicated that annual precipitation, annual temperature range and mean temperature of the warmest quarter were the key bioclimatic variables affecting the distribution of P. wightiana. Most temperate species retracted into smaller refugial areas during glacial periods and experienced range expansion during interglacial periods. Possible refugia of the species were inferred to be located in the Hengduan Range and Qinling Regions.