Plants to 50 cm (roots elongate-turbinate, branched). Herbage sparsely to densely hairy (indument relatively soft, hairs spreading, to 2+ mm). Stems yellowish green becoming tan. Basal leaves: petioles 2-10 cm; blades 1- or 3-nerved, linear to lanceolate, 6-12 × 0.7-1.5 cm, bases attenuate, margins entire (usually ciliate). Peduncles 8-25+ cm. Phyllaries lanceolate to ovate, 5-10 × 1.5-2.5 mm. Receptacles: paleae 9-12 mm, tips purple, 2-3 mm, often incurved, rounded to acute. Ray corollas pink to purplish, laminae spreading to reflexed, 20-40 × 3-4 mm, moderately hairy abaxially. Discs conic, 10-25 × 15-25 mm. Disc corollas 5.5-6.5 mm, lobes usually purple. Cypselae tan, 4-5 mm, faces smooth, glabrous; pappi to ca. 1.2 mm (major teeth 0-4). 2n = 22.

Flowering in summer. Dry, rocky hills, barrens; of conservation concern; 100-200 m; Tenn.

Echinacea tennesseensis is in the Center for Plant Conservation´s National Collection of Endangered Plants.