Symphyotrichum depauperatum is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach up to 50 centimeters (1+3⁄4 feet) tall, with 1–3 stems.

The plant produces numerous flower heads in branched arrays, each head with 7–14 white or, rarely, pink ray florets surrounding 7–17 yellow disk florets.

[7] S. depauperatum is adapted to serpentine barrens, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil.

[1] Serpentine aster has been called a "flagship species" of the unique serpentine ecosystem and was once thought to be endemic to these barrens,[8] but it also has been found to occur in a disjoint population on diabase glades in Granville County, North Carolina.

[9] Symphyotrichum depauperatum is classified by the state of Pennsylvania as a threatened species because its range is restricted to a few limited areas, and the majority of its populations occur on sites threatened by quarrying, housing development, and industrial development.