We compiled data of 365 tree community plots from the literature, which were sampled across Guangxi and varied in plot area from 400 to 1000 m²(with 50% of plots 400 m²), and characterized the species diversity and community phylogenetic diversity (PD) and structure, and their relationship with the mean annual temperature (MAT) of the sampling location in three types of forest habitats:non-karst with an elevation of ≤ 1000 m, non-karst with an elevation of > 1000 m, and karst with an elevation of ≤ 1000 m. We found that in comparison of the number of the families with more than 4 species in the forests, the non-karst forests with an elevation of ≤ 1000 m contained 24 more families than non-karst forests with an elevation of < 1000 m, and 18 more families than karst forests. Lauraceae, Fagaceae, Theaceae, and Ericaceae are important and common families of non-karst forests at both low and high elevations. Euphorbiaceae was the family that contains the largest number of species in karst forests. Theaceae and Ericaceae that appeared in the non-karst forests were absent in karst forests. The species diversity and phylogenetic structure index of the tree communities in the three habitats were not significantly associated with the MAT. Gleason's diversity indices of karst and non-karst forests with an elevation of ≤ 1000 m were not significantly different, but significantly lower that of non-karst forests with an elevation of > 1000 m. The PD of the non-karst forests with elevations ≤ 1000 m was higher than that of the non-karst forests with elevations of either > 1000 m, indicating the former is favourable for hosting the more distant-related species. The phylogenetic net relatedness index (NRI) and the nearest taxon index (NTI) revealed that most of the forest plots in the three habitats showed phylogenetic clustering, and a small proportion of plots displayed phylogenetic overdispersion or randomness. These suggest that habitat filtration plays a major role in the community assembly of karst and non-karst forests in Guangxi. The proportions of plots with phylogenetic overdispersion in the karst forests and non-karst forests with an elevation of > 1000 m were lower that in the non-karst forests with an elevation of ≤ 1000 m, revealing that environmental filtration was stronger in these two habitats.