The federally endangered scrub wedge-leaf button snakeroot has a long taproot that can absorb water. Snakeroot seedlings grow under a layer of sand grains, which keeps them from drying out. Some plants that live in scrub don't depend on soil moisture or nutrients at all. Ball moss is an air plant commonly seen in scrub. It absorbs the moisture it needs from the air and gets its nutrients from rainwater, dust, and perhaps from insects and spiders that live in the base of the plants.
Sand is the soil of Florida scrub.
Sometimes it's sugary white, sometimes yellow. Living in sand can be tough. Compared to particles in other soil types, sand grains are large and hold virtually no nutrients or water. Rain drains through sand rapidly and the upper layers of sand dry out quickly. The surface can also become dangerously hot and dry.