Creeping buttercup is the only buttercup species commonly found in New Zealand which has a stolon system.
It is typically present in soils which are low in Calcium but high in Potassium, Magnesium and Manganese. The soils where this weed is present may also lack humus and bacterial activity.
Like most buttercups, Ranunculus repens is poisonous, although when dried with hay these poisons are lost. The taste of buttercups is acrid, so cattle avoid eating them.