It is native to the Midwestern and Southeastern United States[3] where it is found in moist to wet areas.

It can be found in both prairies and forests, where it is an indicator of high quality habitat.

interior of the Plains (the Wabash smooth phlox) and subsp.

P. triflora, the three-flower smooth phlox) in the South,[5][6] but Locklear (2012) only two, incorporating subsp.

[7] The glaberrima and interior variations, along with other taxa in the P. carolina–glaberrima complex and P. maculata, are frequently cultivated as ornamental landscape plants, but triflora rarely is.