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Symphyotrichum depauperatum
	S. depauperatum from the serpentine grassland demonstration area in Nottingham, Pennsylvania.
Conservation status
	; Imperiled (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Symphyotrichum
Section:	Symphyotrichum sect. Symphyotrichum
Species:	S. depauperatum
Binomial name
	Symphyotrichum depauperatum; (Fernald) G.L.Nesom
	Endemic distribution
Synonyms
	Basionym; Aster depauperatus Fernald; Alphabetical list Aster ericoides var. depauperatus Porter ; Aster ericoides var. pusillus A.Gray ; Aster parviceps var. pusillus Fernald ; Aster pilosus var. pusillus (A.Gray) A.G.Jones ; ; ;

Symphyotrichum depauperatum (formerly Aster depauperatus), commonly known as serpentine aster or starved aster,^[4]^[5] is a rare species in the family Asteraceae adapted to serpentine barrens, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil. It has been found in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and on some diabase glades in North Carolina. It grows to 50 centimeters (1+3⁄4 feet) and has white ray florets surrounding a center of yellow disk florets.

Description

Symphyotrichum depauperatum is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach up to 50 centimeters (1+3⁄4 feet) tall, with 1–3 stems. The leaves are narrow and generally 2–4 centimeters (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 inches) long. 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.^[4]

A plant in flower
Flowers
Growth habit

Taxonomy

Within the genus Symphyotrichum, S. depauperatum has been classified in subgenus Symphyotrichum section Symphyotrichum subsection Porteriani.^[6] Its full name with author citation is Symphyotrichum depauperatum (Fernald) G.L.Nesom.^[3] It was first described by American botanist Merritt Lyndon Fernald in 1908 as Aster depauperatus.^[7]

Distribution and habitat

A stream in a serpentine barren in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

S. depauperatum is adapted to serpentine barrens, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil. It has been found in Baltimore^[2] and Cecil Counties, Maryland;^[1] Granville County, North Carolina;^[2] and, Chester, Delaware, and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania.^[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]

Conservation

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.^[10]

As of August 2022^[update], NatureServe listed it as Globally Imperiled (G2); Critically Imperiled (S1) in Maryland and North Carolina; and, Imperiled (S2) in Pennsylvania. NatureServe's most recent review of S. depauperatum's global status was 3 October 1997.^[1]