Golden Groundsel

Packera aurea

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: S13 Herpetogramma aeglalis listed but not verified in Eastern NA; S14 no host records
🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) gardineri
S17 Fowler specialist bee on Packera genus; S68 Andrena gardineri recorded visiting

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Secure throughout its range (G5 globally, N5 in both Canada and the US). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Common in Quebec (S5) and Ontario (S5), with 437 QC herbarium specimens and 747 ON specimens in GBIF.
S22 G5, S5 ON, S5 QC; S26 not SARA listed; S48 specimen counts
Rarity Ranks: QC S5 – Secure, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Golden groundsel is a rhizomatous perennial of moist to wet deciduous woodlands, floodplains, seeps, stream margins, and sedge meadows. In the Outaouais, herbarium records confirm its presence in forêt Boucher (Aylmer sector) in shrubby peatland on bedrock depressions. It thrives in rich, organic soils under partial shade and tolerates seasonal flooding, forming vegetative colonies via spreading rhizomes.
S7 floodplains, hardwood swamps, fens; S10 wet to mesic deciduous woodlands; S54 Aylmer specimen in maru00e9cage arbustif tourbeux; S61 swamps, wetland margins

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: Functions as a living groundcover in moist shade gardens and woodland edges, suppressing weeds through dense rhizomatous colonies. Its early spring bloom provides critical nectar and pollen resources when few other species are flowering. Pairs well functionally with taller woodland species such as Tilia americana, Fraxinus, and Carpinus caroliniana as noted in habitat associates.
S4 groundcover effect; S10 early spring bloom; S7 associates listed

Category: Gynecological Aid, Heart Medicine, Blood Medicine, Diaphoretic, Febrifuge, Kidney Aid, Orthopedic Aid, Pediatric Aid, Emmenagogue, Uterine Tonic
S28 Cherokee and Iroquois uses; S29 PFAF categories
Notes: Widely used by Cherokee and Iroquois nations. Cherokee used infusions to prevent pregnancy and treat heart trouble. Iroquois used decoctions for blood purification, kidney ailments, and broken bones, and infusions of rosettes as a febrifuge for children. PFAF notes historical use as a uterine tonic and birthing aid. Contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (senecine, senecionine); internal use is no longer recommended due to liver toxicity risk. Health Canada classifies it as an approved herbal NHP (whole plant, dry or fresh preparations).
S28 8 drug uses; S29 medicinal rating 2/5; S36 NHPID approved; S4 Amerindian uses

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: Not edible. Contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (senecine, senecionine) that cause liver toxicity. PFAF assigns an edibility rating of 0 out of 5. No food uses recorded in Moerman's ethnobotanical database.
S29 edibility=0, pyrrolizidine alkaloids; S28 no food category uses; S4 POISONOUS PARTS