It sends out long creeping runners (stolons) from its base, which grow along the ground and take root.

Running buffalo clover has current populations in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Missouri.

Remaining running buffalo clover populations are generally small and sporadically located.

It is most often rediscovered in lightly shaded woodlands along streams, but some have also been found in lawns of old home sites and cemeteries.

Historical records show that running buffalo clover was once abundant in certain parts of its range, but it rapidly disappeared upon pioneer settlement.