Golden Groundsel Packera aurea
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Senecio aureus
- Phonetic Spelling
- PAK-er-uh ARE-ee-uh
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
-
Golden ragwort is a native perennial in the Asteraceae (daisy) family. It is found growing in forests, swamps, ravines, or riparian areas in eastern North America to Texas as an herbaceous flowering plant.
Plant it in full sun to partial shade in average medium to wet soils. It forms thick spreading mats and in the spring it sends up stalks of bright yellow flowers that attract many pollinators. The blooms will even appear in the shade adding some much needed brightness to darker spots in the landscape. The flowers can look unkempt after they die so cut them down to the leafy base of the plant or leave the seeds for birds.
Allow it to naturalize in the landscape, use as a ground cover in shady wet areas, or along a border, in a bog, butterfly, or rain garden.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. It can be somewhat weedy.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Dark Shadow'
Purple leaves, young leaves are greenish-crimson
- 'Dark Shadow'
- 'Dark Shadow'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Dark Shadow'
Purple leaves, young leaves are greenish-crimson
- 'Dark Shadow'
- 'Dark Shadow'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Packera
- Species:
- aurea
- Family:
- Asteraceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern Canada and U.S.A.
- Wildlife Value:
- Flowers attract pollinators and seeds attract birds.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
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-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Ground Cover
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Wildflower
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- Less than 12 inches
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Achene
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Corymb
- Head
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Radial
- Flower Petals:
- 7 - 20 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Yellow (rarely white or purple) head flowers 1" across in a flat topped corymb resembling a small sunflower; Flat-topped cluster of daisy-like flower heads; petals and disk flowers are yellow. Cut back after flowering or leave the seeds for the birds.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Cordate
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Stem leaves are alternate, often lobed or pinnately divided and toothed; heart-shaped basal leaves are bluntly toothed, slender-stalked and are 2 to 4 in. long; reddish purple below. Basal leaves remain on the plant in mild winter and lend to the ground cover appearance.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Several long, thin stems
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-
Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Riparian
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Attracts:
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Weedy
