Five to twelve golden-yellow flowers 10–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in) long are borne in an umbel at the tip of the upright stem.

[3] Lotus pedunculatus has been introduced to the western side of the United States and is now a prevalent weed in irrigated lawns and draining waste areas.

Due to this it is considered a problem in gardens across the west and as a legume promotes other weed growth as a nitrogen fixer.

[4] Lotus pedunculatus occurs in a wide range of neutral, damp, open habitats, including certain fen-meadow plant associations such as Juncus subnodulosus-Cirsium palustre fen-meadow habitat.

[5] Lotus pedunculatus is also a host plant for ovipositioning of the wood white butterfly, Leptidea sinapis.