Florida peninsula inland scrub
The Florida peninsula inland scrub is a shrubland community found on the Florida peninsula. The largest remaining blocks of inland scrub are in and around the Ocala National Forest and in the Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. The Archbold Biological Station near Lake Placid contains about of scrub habitat and sponsors biological research on it. The scrub occurs on a series of north-south running ridges composed of sand derived from ancient dune fields. The soil, a type of entisol, is derived from quartz and is low in organic matter, silt, and clay. Because the low-nutrient sandy soils do not retain moisture, the ecosystem is effectively an arid one.
The plants generally consist of xerophytic shrubs, especially oaks, with occasional pine trees. The understory is often sparse and sometimes absent, leaving only bare ground. Sand pine is the typical pine. Oaks include Chapman oak, sand live oak, myrtle oak, and the endemic Inopina oak. Other shrubs include rusty staggerbush, saw palmetto, sandhill-rosemary, scrub holly, scrub olive, scrub pawpaw, silk bay, Adam's needle, and eastern prickly pear.
Endangered plants of the Florida scrub include Florida golden aster, Ashe's savory, pygmy fringetree, sandlace, scrub plum, short-leaved false rosemary, etonia rosemary, yellow scrub balm, scrub beargrass, scrub blazingstar, scrub lupine, and scrub morning glory.
Notable animals of the Florida scrub include the Florida scrub jay, Florida mouse, sand skink, bluetail mole skink, Florida scrub lizard, and Florida worm lizard.
This community is often adjacent to Florida longleaf pine sandhills, which have a markedly different appearance.
