Longleaf pine is common in flatwoods, sandhill, and upland hardwood ecosystems. It occurs naturally on nutrient-poor soils of flat and sandy sites ranging from wet, poorly drained flatwoods to dry rocky mountain ridges below 660 feet in elevation.

While stands of the longleaf pine-turkey oak ecological communities are found throughout Florida, they are most common in the central portion of the state north of Lake Placid and in the interior area of the panhandle. Longleaf stands are home to a great diversity of grasses and shrubs in the understory.