Because cicer milkvetch displays high tolerance to drought, it has been shown to survive in dryland areas of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming that often receive less than 14 in (360 mm) of yearly rain.

In general, cicer milkvetch can be seen to grow in the fringes of forests, meadows, and alongside streams; however, it has also been reported that the plant proliferates along roadsides.

[4] Cicer milkvetch has the capacity to grow in a vast amount soil types and textures, such as clay and sand.

In regards to obtaining adequate amounts of nitrogen, cicer milkvetch employs a mutualistic relationship with rhizobia bacteria.

[7] Cicer milkvetch exhibits rhizomes (sometimes referred to as creeping roots), or an extended horizontal stem propagated underground, which continuously grow as the plant ages.

Cicer milkvetch has several agricultural uses: it can be used for soil stabilization as well as hay or pasture with the good nutritional value typical of legumes and the benefit of this plant's non-bloat characteristics for livestock.