Wood groundsel is an introduced, annual herb with erect, leafy stems15-80 cm tall, and a branched inflorescence. The stem leaves are deeply pinnately lobed and toothed, 2-12 cm long. The heads are yellow, with both disk flowers and very short petaled (< 2 mm) ray flowers. The involucral bracts are mostly not black-tipped. Wood groundsel is common on roadsides, in clearings and gardens, and in other disturbed sites at low to middle elevations.