Echinacea tennesseensis aka Tennessee Purple Coneflower

Echinacea tennesseensis has the common name Tennessee coneflower. It belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae. This herbaceous perennial has soft growth and lives for years. It comes from glades near Nashville, Tennessee. It forms upright clumps and sheds its leaves. NC State says it once had endangered status. It also says the plant later left that list. The RHS page still lists it as federally endangered. These accounts give no current IUCN rating.

Garden plants reach about 1–2 feet [0.3–0.6 metres] tall. NC State gives much the same range for their width. Missouri Botanical Garden gives flower stems a greater height. They reach 2.5 feet [0.76 metres]. RHS gives an upper limit of 3.3 feet [1 metre]. Growth is slow, and stronger coneflowers may crowd it out. The round, hairy stems look green to yellow-green. Dark green leaves feel rough and have smooth edges. Some leaves are lanceolate, or shaped like a lance. Others are narrow and almost linear, with a near line-like shape. Larger leaves cluster at the base of the plant. Smaller leaves sit farther apart along the stems. They alternate, growing from one side, then the other.

Flowers open from June through August on firm, upright stems. Each head spans about one to three inches across. The outer blooms, called ray florets, curve a little upward. Their color ranges from pink to rose-purple. The disk flowers form a pointed, copper-orange cone at the center. Some cones have a green tint. Brown or tan fruits called achenes form from summer into fall. Finches eat the seeds, and butterflies visit the flowers. Wavy-lined Emerald moth larvae also live on this plant. It can cross with other coneflowers. Seeds from mixed plantings may not keep the species' traits.

Grow this plant in full sun and soil that drains well. Missouri Botanical Garden and NC State also allow part shade. It accepts dry to moist soil and withstands drought. Sources list clay, chalk, loam, and sand. They also list shallow, rocky ground. RHS accepts acid, neutral, and alkaline soil. Most care sources list USDA zones 5–6. An archived Chicago Botanic Garden page gives zones 3–8. RHS gives the UK hardiness rating H5. Remove spent blooms to help the plant flower longer. Raise plants from seed, division, or root cuttings. Division means splitting a plant into parts. RHS warns that division and root work can disturb plants.

Use it in borders, meadows, or wildflower plots. It also suits woodland edges. Use its flowers in fresh or dried arrangements. It needs little care and seldom has serious problems. Japanese beetles sometimes cause damage. Leaf spot is rare. The supplied evidence confirms no edible parts. It also gives no assessment of toxicity.