Golden Ragwort, Packera aurea, also called golden groundsel or squaw weed, is a somewhat weedy perennial which is valued for its ability to thrive in moist shady locations, naturalize rapidly and produce a long and profuse spring bloom. It is native in moist soils in low woods, ravines, swamps, along streams and springs, and at the base of cliffs. Features flat-topped clusters (corymbs) of yellow, daisy-like flowers atop sparsely-leaved stems in early spring. Oblong stem leaves are finely cut (pinnately lobed) and quite distinctive. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring and lasts about 3 weeks. Flowering stems typically rise 1-2 feet tall from basal clumps of long-stemmed, heart-shaped, toothed, dark green leaves that often have a purplish tinge beneath.

Habitats include wet to mesic deciduous woodlands, damp woodland openings, woodland borders, moist sandy savannas, sandy swamps, seeps and edges of springs, banks of rivers and lakes, slopes of rocky ravines, glades, moist meadows, roadside embankments, and abandoned fields.