A branching plant with slender, mostly smooth stems bearing narrow leaves and numerous flower heads with blue-violet to rose (sometimes white) rays surrounding a yellow or reddish central disk. This large aster is abundant in low areas along the coast. There are many color forms, including those with white or rose rays.

New York Aster grows well in Full-Partial sun and Medium-Wet to Medium-Dry soils. It requires well-drained soils and prefers sandy, loamy, and clay soils. This aster is commonly found in low areas along the northern East Coast of the US and into Canada.

Its typical habitats include shorelines, damp thickets, marshes, and meadows. You will often find New York Aster in colonies as it spreads by its long rhizomes. New York Aster is one of the larval host plants of the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly and the Pearl Crescent butterfly.