Cystopteris tennesseensis is similar to C. bulbifera from which it differs in having only a few scattered glandular hairs, in having few or no bulblets, and in lacking red stipes in young plants. It is also similar to C. laurentiana. See steps 60-64 in the key for assistance in identifying these species, or refer to the Flora of North America, Vol. 2 for a more thorough treatment.

Cystopteris tennesseensis is known from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania and south to Oklahoma and Tennessee. It is rare in Wisconsin, in the southwestern counties and a few other scattered localilties. Its habitat is most often calcareous cliffs.