Laurel oak grows scattered with other hardwoods in well-drained hammocks - near the edges of streams and rivers. Associated species include sweetgum, bald cypress, pignut hickory, live oak, longleaf, and loblolly pines.

In Florida, where it is most abundant, it can also be found in flatwoods and moderately well-drained soils. It occurs throughout the coastal plain from southeastern Virginia to central Florida and west to southern Texas.