This study characterized a soil seed bank from which herbaceous and pa
rtly woody species (hereafter, ''herbaceous plants'') may recover afte
r fire in Florida sand pine scrub. Abundances and spatial distribution
s of seeds in the soil and of adult plants were quantified in three si
tes burned 1 or 2 yr before data collection, and in five sites unburne
d for at least 40 yr. Median density of germinants from soil samples w
as 20 seeds/m(2), with 10 taxa represented. Seed bank densities were n
ot different between recently burned and long unburned sites. Percent
cover of grasses and sedges did not differ between burned and long unb
urned sites, but stem densities of dicotyledonous herbaceous plants we
re lower in long unburned sites. The soil seed bank in sand pine scrub
has three components, based on patterns of seed and conspecific adult
occurrence in samples-monocotyledonous perennials with both seeds and
adults present, ''weedy'' species with only seeds present, and specie
s with poor seed dispersal with only seeds present.