A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

woody plant A woody plant is a plant that produces wood as its structural tissue and thus has a hard stem. In cold climates, woody plants further survive winter or dry season above ground, as opposite to herbaceous plants that die back to the ground until sp ...

. Unlike

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

s, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s by their multiple stems and shorter

height Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is). For example, "The height of that building is 50 m" or "The height of an airplane in-flight is ab ...

, less than tall. Small shrubs, less than 2 m (6.6 ft) tall are sometimes termed as subshrubs. Many botanical groups have species that are shrubs, and others that are trees and herbaceous plants instead. Some definitions state that a shrub is less than and a tree is over 6 m. Others use as the cut-off point for classification. Many species of tree may not reach this mature height because of hostile less than ideal growing conditions, and resemble a shrub-sized plant. However, such species have the potential to grow taller under the ideal growing conditions for that plant. In terms of longevity, most shrubs fit in a class between

perennials A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

and trees; some may only last about five years even in good conditions, others, usually the larger and more woody ones, may live to 70 or more, but on average they last 7–10 years. Shrubland is the natural landscape dominated by various shrubs; there are many distinct types around the world, including fynbos,

maquis Maquis may refer to: Resistance groups * Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance * Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War * The network ...

, shrub-steppe,

shrub swamp Shrub swamps — also called scrub swamps or buttonbush swamps — are a type of freshwater wetland ecosystem occurring in areas too wet to become swamps (“true” or freshwater swamp forest), but too dry or too shallow to become marshes. The ...

and moorland. In gardens and parks, an area largely dedicated to shrubs (now somewhat less fashionable than a century ago) is called a

shrubbery A shrubbery, shrub border or shrub garden is a part of a garden where shrubs, mostly flowering species, are thickly planted. The original shrubberies were mostly sections of large gardens, with one or more paths winding through it, a less-rememb ...

, shrub border or shrub garden. There are many garden

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s of shrubs, bred for flowering, for example rhododendrons, and sometimes even leaf colour or shape. Compared to trees and herbaceous plants, perhaps a relatively small number of shrubs have agricultural or commercial uses. Apart from the several berry-bearing species (using the culinary rather than botanical definition), few are eaten directly, and they are generally too small for much

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

use unlike trees. Those that are used include several perfumed species such as

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

and

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

, and a wide range of plants with medicinal uses.

Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

and

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

are on the tree-shrub boundary; they are normally harvested from shrub-sized plants, but these would be large enough to become small trees if left to grow instead.

Definition

Shrubs are perennial woody plants, and therefore have persistent woody stems above ground (compare with succulent stems of

s). Usually, shrubs are distinguished from trees by their height and multiple stems. Some shrubs are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

(e.g.

hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

) and others

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

(e.g.

holly ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

philosopher

Theophrastus Theophrastus (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek philosopher and the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He was a native of Eresos in Lesbos.Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin, ''Ancient Botany'', Routle ...

divided the plant world into trees, shrubs and herbs. Small, low shrubs, generally less than tall, such as

, periwinkle and most small garden varieties of

, are often termed as subshrubs. Most definitions characterize shrubs as possessing multiple stems with no main trunk below. This is because the stems have branched below ground level. There are exceptions to this, with some shrubs having main trunks, but these tend to be very short and divide into multiple stems close to ground level without a reasonable length beforehand. Many trees can grow in multiple stemmed forms also while being tall enough to be trees, such as

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

Use in gardens and parks

An area of cultivated shrubs in a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

or a

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

is known as a

. When clipped as

topiary Topiary is the horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants w ...

, suitable species or varieties of shrubs develop dense

foliage A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, s ...

and many small leafy

branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...

es growing close together. Many shrubs respond well to renewal

pruning Pruning is a horticultural, arboricultural, and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. The practice entails the ''targeted'' removal of diseased, damaged, dead, ...

, in which hard cutting back to a " stool", removes everything but vital parts of the plant, resulting in long new stems known as "canes". Other shrubs respond better to selective pruning to dead or unhealthy, or otherwise unattractive parts to reveal their structure and character. Shrubs in common garden practice are generally considered broad-leaved plants, though some smaller conifers such as

mountain pine ''Pinus mugo'', known as bog pine, creeping pine, dwarf mountain pine, mugo pine, mountain pine, scrub mountain pine, or Swiss mountain pine, is a species of conifer, native to high elevation habitats from southwestern to Central Europe and S ...

and

common juniper ''Juniperus communis'', the common juniper, is a species of small tree or shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae. An evergreen conifer, it has the largest geographical range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the c ...

are also shrubby in structure. Species that grow into a shrubby habit may be either

Botanical structure

Scrub brush vegetation in south TX IMG 6069

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

, a shrub is more specifically used to describe the particular physical canopy structure or

plant life-form Plant life-form schemes constitute a way of classifying plants alternatively to the ordinary species-genus-family scientific classification. In colloquial speech, plants may be classified as trees, shrubs, herbs ( forbs and graminoids), etc. The ...

of woody plants which are less than high and usually multiple stems arising at or near the surface of the ground. For example, a descriptive system widely adopted in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

is based on structural characteristics based on life-form, plus the height and amount of foliage cover of the tallest layer or dominant

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

.Costermans, L. F. (1993) ''Native trees and shrubs of South-Eastern Australia''. rev. ed. For shrubs that are high, the following structural forms are categorized: * dense foliage cover (70–100%) — closed-shrubs * mid-dense foliage cover (30–70%) — open-shrubs * sparse foliage cover (10–30%) — tall shrubland * very sparse foliage cover (<10%) — tall open shrubland For shrubs less than high, the following structural forms are categorized: * dense foliage cover (70–100%) — closed-

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

or closed low shrubland—(''North America'') * mid-dense foliage cover (30–70%) — open-heath or mid-dense low shrubland—(''North America'') * sparse foliage cover (10–30%) — low shrubland * very sparse foliage cover (<10%) — low open shrubland

List of shrubs

Those marked with * can also develop into tree form if in ideal conditions. ;A * ''

Abelia ''Abelia'' is a previously recognized genus that contained about 30 species and hybrids, placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the genus was not monophyletic, and in 2013, Maarten Christen ...

'' (Abelia) * '' Acer'' (Maple) * * '' Actinidia'' (Actinidia) * '' Aloe'' (Aloe) * ''

Aralia ''Aralia'' , or spikenard, is a genus of the family Araliaceae, consisting of 68 accepted species of deciduous or evergreen trees, shrubs, and rhizomatous herbaceous perennials. The genus is native to Asia and the Americas, with most species o ...

'' (Angelica Tree, Hercules' Club) * * ''

Arctostaphylos ''Arctostaphylos'' (; from "bear" and "bunch of grapes") is a genus of plants comprising the manzanitas () and bearberries. They are shrubs or small trees. There are about 60 species, of ''Arctostaphylos'', ranging from ground-hugging arc ...

'' (

Bearberry Bearberries ( indigenous kinnickinnick) are three species of dwarf shrubs in the genus ''Arctostaphylos''. Unlike the other species of ''Arctostaphylos'' (see manzanita), they are adapted to Arctic and Subarctic climates, and have a circumpolar ...

Manzanita Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos''. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from Southern British Columbia and Washington to Or ...

) * * ''

Aronia ''Aronia'' is a genus of deciduous shrubs, the chokeberries, in the family Rosaceae native to eastern North America and most commonly found in wet woods and swamps. The genus Aronia is considered to have 3 species. The most common and wi ...

'' (Chokeberry) * ''

Artemisia Artemisia may refer to: People * Artemisia I of Caria (fl. 480 BC), queen of Halicarnassus under the First Persian Empire, naval commander during the second Persian invasion of Greece * Artemisia II of Caria (died 350 BC), queen of Caria under th ...

'' (

Sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

) * ''

Aucuba ''Aucuba'' is a genus of three to ten species of flowering plants, now placed in the family Garryaceae, although formerly classified in the Aucubaceae or Cornaceae. ''Aucuba'' species are native to eastern Asia, from the eastern Himalayas east ...

'' (Aucuba) ;B * ''

Berberis ''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South Amer ...

'' (Barberry) * ''

Bougainvillea ''Bougainvillea'' ( , ) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o' clock family, Nyctaginaceae. It is native to eastern South America, found from Brazil, west to Peru, and south to southern Argentina. ...

'' (Bougainvillea) * ''

Brugmansia ''Brugmansia'' is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae. They are woody trees or shrubs, with pendulous flowers, and have no spines on their fruit. Their large, fragrant flowers give them their common ...

'' (Angel's trumpet) * ''

Buddleja ''Buddleja'' (; ''Buddleia''; also historically given as ''Buddlea'') is a genus comprising over 140 species of flowering plants endemic to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The generic name bestowed by Linnaeus posthumously honoured the Revere ...

'' (Butterfly bush) * ''

Buxus ''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South ...

'' (Box) * ;C * ''

Calia ''Dermatophyllum'' is a genus of three or four species of shrubs and small trees in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family, Fabaceae. The genus is native to southwestern North America from western Texas to New Mexico and Arizona in the Uni ...

'' (Mescalbean) * ''

Callicarpa ''Callicarpa'' (beautyberry) is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the family Lamiaceae.Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A. & Seberg, O. 2007: Flowering Plant Families of the World. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. They are native to east ...

'' (Beautyberry) * * '' Callistemon'' (Bottlebrush) * * ''

Calluna ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found ...

'' (Heather) * ''

Calycanthus ''Calycanthus'', called sweetshrub, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae. The genus includes two to four species depending on taxonomic interpretation; three are accepted by most 21st century sources. Description ''Calyca ...

'' (Sweetshrub) * ''

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controv ...

'' (Camellia,

) * * ''

Caragana ''Caragana'' is a genus of about 80–100 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to Asia and eastern Europe. They are shrubs or small trees growing tall. They have even-pinnate leaves with small leaflets, and solitary or clu ...

'' ( Pea-tree) * * '' Carpenteria'' (Carpenteria) * '' Caryopteris'' (

Blue Spiraea Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ob ...

) * ''

Cassiope Cascade, Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE), is a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) multi-mission satellite operated by the University of Calgary. The mission development and operations from launch to February 2018 was funded through ...

'' ( Moss-heather) * '' Ceanothus'' (Ceanothus) * * ''

Celastrus ''Celastrus'', commonly known as staff vine, staff tree or bittersweet, is a genus in the family Celastraceae which comprises about 30-40 species of shrubs and vines. They have a wide distribution in East Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Amer ...

'' (Staff vine) * * '' Ceratostigma'' ( Hardy Plumbago) * '' Cercocarpus'' (Mountain-mahogany) * * '' Chaenomeles'' (Japanese Quince) * '' Chamaebatiaria'' (Fernbush) * '' Chamaedaphne'' (Leatherleaf) * ''

Chimonanthus ''Chimonanthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae, native to China, but is also cultivated elsewhere in Asia, including Iran. The genus includes three to six species depending on taxonomic interpretation; six are acce ...

'' (Wintersweet) * ''

Chionanthus ''Chionanthus'' , common name: fringetrees, is a genus of about 150 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae. The genus has a wide distribution primarily in the tropics and subtropics, but with three species extending north into te ...

'' (Fringe-tree) * * ''

Choisya ''Choisya'' is a small genus of aromatic evergreen shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as Mexican orange due to the similarity of their flowers with those of the closely related orange, both in shape an ...

'' (Mexican-orange Blossom) * * ''

Cistus ''Cistus'' (from the Greek ''kistos'') is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species (Ellul ''et al.'' 2002). They are perennial shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean region ...

'' (Rockrose) * ''

Clerodendrum ''Clerodendrum'' is a genus of flowering plants formerly placed in the family Verbenaceae, but now considered to belong to the Lamiaceae (mint) family. Its common names include glorybower, bagflower and bleeding-heart. It is currently classified ...

'' (Clerodendrum) * '' Clethra'' (Summersweet, Pepperbush) * * ''

Clianthus ''Clianthus'', commonly known as kakabeak (''kōwhai ngutukākā'' in Māori), is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, comprising two species of shrubs native to New Zealand. They have striking clusters of red flowers whi ...

'' ( Glory Pea) * '' Colletia'' (Colletia) * ''

Colutea ''Colutea'' is a genus of about 25 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous gr ...

'' (Bladder Senna) * '' Comptonia'' (Sweetfern) * ''

Cornus ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...

'' (Dogwood) * * ''

Corylopsis ''Corylopsis'' is a genus of nearly 30 species of shrubs in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, native to eastern Asia with the majority of species endemic to China but with some also in Japan, Korea, and the Himalayas. This genus is also ...

'' (Winter-hazel) * * ''

Cotinus ''Cotinus'' (''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607), the smoketree or smoke bush, is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs (''Rhus''). Characteristics They are larg ...

'' (Smoketree) * * ''

Cotoneaster ''Cotoneaster'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to the Palaearctic region (temperate Asia, Europe, north Africa), with a strong concentration of diversity in the genus in the mountains of southwestern China an ...

'' (Cotoneaster) * * '' Cowania'' ( Cliffrose) * '' Crataegus'' (Hawthorn) * * '' Crinodendron'' (Crinodendron) * * ''

Cytisus ''Cytisus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to open sites (typically scrub and heathland) in Europe, western Asia and North Africa. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and is one of several genera in the tribe Ge ...

'' and allied genera (

Broom A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...

) * ;D * ''

Daboecia ''Daboecia'' , or St. Dabeoc's heath, is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, containing two evergreen shrubs, closely related to the genus '' Erica''. They are native to cliffs and heathland in southern Atlantic Europe and ...

'' (

Heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

) * '' Danae'' (Alexandrian laurel) * ''

Daphne Daphne (; ; el, Δάφνη, , ), a minor figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in whi ...

'' (Daphne) * ''

Decaisnea :''Decaisnea Lindl. is a synonym of Tropidia (plant), an orchid genus.'' ''Decaisnea'' Hook.f &Thomson, (猫儿屎属 mao er shi shu) known commonly as dead man's fingers, blue bean plant or blue sausage fruit, is a genus of flowering plant in ...

'' (Decaisnea) * '' Dasiphora'' (Shrubby Cinquefoil) * ''

Dendromecon ''Dendromecon'', the tree poppy, is a genus of one or two species of shrubs to small trees, native to California and northern Baja California. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, lanceolate to ovate, 3–10 cm long. The flowers are yello ...

'' (Tree poppy) * '' Desfontainea'' (Desfontainea) * ''

Deutzia ''Deutzia'' ( or ) is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to eastern and central Asia (from the Himalayas east to Japan and the Philippines), and Central America and also Europe. By far the highest ...

'' (Deutzia) * ''

Diervilla ''Diervilla'', or bush honeysuckle, is a genus of three species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae, all indigenous to eastern North America. The genus is named after a French surgeon Dr. Marin Diereville, who introduced the plant ...

'' (Bush honeysuckle) * ''

Dipelta ''Linnaea'' is a plant genus in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Until 2013, the genus included a single species, ''Linnaea borealis''. In 2013, on the basis of molecular phylogenetic evidence, the genus was expanded to include species ...

'' (Dipelta) * ''

Dirca ''Dirca'' is a genus of three or four species of flowering plants in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to North America. The genus is named after Dirce in Greek mythology. The general common name for this deciduous shrub is leatherwood; other n ...

'' (Leatherwood) * '' Dracaena'' (Dragon tree) * * '' Drimys'' ( Winter's Bark) * * '' Dryas'' (Mountain Avens) ;E * '' Edgeworthia'' (Paper Bush) * * ''

Elaeagnus ''Elaeagnus'' , silverberry or oleaster, is a genus of about 50–70 species of flowering plants in the family Elaeagnaceae. Description ''Elaeagnus'' plants are deciduous or evergreen shrubs or small trees. The alternate leaves and the shoo ...

'' (

) * * ''

Embothrium ''Embothrium'' is a genus of two to eight species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) in the plant family Proteaceae, native to southern South America, in Chile and adjacent western Argentina; the genus occurs as far south as Tierra del Fuego ...

'' ( Chilean Firebush) * * ''

Empetrum ''Empetrum'' is a genus of three species of dwarf evergreen shrubs in the heath family Ericaceae. They are commonly known as crowberries and bear edible fruit. They are commonly found in the northern hemisphere, from temperate to subarctic clima ...

'' (

Crowberry ''Empetrum nigrum'', crowberry, black crowberry, or, in western Alaska, blackberry, is a flowering plant species in the heather family Ericaceae with a near circumboreal distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually dioecious, but there ...

) * '' Enkianthus'' ( Pagoda Bush) * ''

Ephedra Ephedra may refer to: * Ephedra (medicine), a medicinal preparation from the plant ''Ephedra sinica'' * ''Ephedra'' (plant), genus of gymnosperm shrubs See also * Ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is of ...

'' (Ephedra) * ''

Epigaea ''Epigaea'' is a small genus of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. The species are small creeping shrubs that are typically anywhere from tall at full growth, forming large patches. The leaves are evergreen, alternate and simple, ranging a ...

'' (

Trailing Arbutus ''Epigaea repens'', the mayflower, trailing arbutus, or ground laurel, is a low, spreading shrub in the family Ericaceae. It is found from Newfoundland to Florida, west to Kentucky and the Northwest Territories. Description The plant is a slo ...

) * ''

Erica Erica or ERICA may refer to: * Erica (given name) * ''Erica'' (plant), a flowering plant genus * Erica (chatbot), a service of Bank of America * ''Erica'' (video game), a 2019 FMV video game * ''Erica'' (spider), a jumping spider genus * E ...

'' (

) * ''

Eriobotrya ''Eriobotrya'' is a genus of flowering plants, mostly large evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosaceae, native to woodland in the Himalayas and East Asia. The loquat, ''E. japonica'', is grown for its edible fruit. ''Eriobotrya'' s ...

'' (Loquat) * * ''

Escallonia ''Escallonia'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Escalloniaceae. They are native to North and South America. Taxonomy Currently valid species in ''Escallonia'' are: * '' Escallonia alpina'' * '' Escallonia angustifolia'' * '' Escal ...

'' (Escallonia) * ''

Eucryphia ''Eucryphia'' is a small genus of trees and large shrubs native to the south temperate regions of South America and coastal eastern Australia, mainly Tasmania. Sometimes placed in a family of their own, the Eucryphiaceae, more recent classificati ...

'' (Eucryphia) * * ''

Euonymus ''Euonymus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family, Celastraceae. Common names vary widely among different species and between different English-speaking countries, but include spindle (or spindle tree), burning-bush, strawb ...

'' (Spindle) * * ''

Exochorda ''Exochorda'' is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to China and central Asia (Turkestan). They are used as ornamental plants with the common name pearl bush, or pearlbush. Numerous species have been described o ...

'' (Pearl Bush) ;F * '' Fabiana'' (Fabiana) * ''

Fallugia ''Fallugia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing the single species ''Fallugia paradoxa'', which is known by the common names Apache plume and póñil. This plant is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, wh ...

'' (Apache Plume) * ''

Fatsia ''Fatsia'' is a small genus of three species of evergreen shrubs in the family Araliaceae native to southern Japan and Taiwan. They typically have stout, sparsely branched stems bearing spirally-arranged, large leathery, palmately lobed leav ...

'' (Fatsia) * '' Forsythia'' (Forsythia) * ''

Fothergilla ''Fothergilla'' (witch alder) is a genus of two to four species of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, native to woodland and swamps of the southeastern United States. They are low-growing deciduous shrubs growing to tall with downy ...

'' (Fothergilla) * ''

Franklinia ''Franklinia'' is a monotypic genus in the tea family, Theaceae. The sole species in this genus is a flowering tree, ''Franklinia alatamaha'', commonly called the Franklin tree, and native to the Altamaha River valley in Georgia in the southeas ...

'' (Franklinia) * * ''

Fremontodendron ''Fremontodendron'', with the common names fremontia and flannelbush or flannel bush, is a genus of three known species of shrubs native to the Southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. Taxonomy They are within the botanical family Malv ...

'' (Flannelbush) * ''

Fuchsia ''Fuchsia'' () is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. The first to be scientifically described, ''Fuchsia triphylla'', was discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) ...

'' (Fuchsia) * ;G * ''

Garrya ''Garrya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Garryaceae native to Mexico, the western United States, Central America and the Greater Antilles. Common names include silk tassel and tassel bush. They are evergreen dioecious wind-pollina ...

'' (Silk-tassel) * * ''

Gaultheria ''Gaultheria'' is a genus of about 135 species of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. The name commemorates Jean François Gaultier of Quebec, an honour bestowed by the Scandinavian Pehr Kalm in 1748 and taken up by Carl Linnaeus in his '. These pla ...

'' (

Salal ''Gaultheria shallon'' is an evergreen shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae), native to western North America. In English, it is known as salal, shallon, or (mainly in Britain) gaultheria. Description ''Gaultheria shallon'' is tall, spra ...

) * ''

Gaylussacia ''Gaylussacia'' is a genus of about fifty species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to the Americas, where they occur in eastern North America and in South America in the Andes and the mountains of southeastern Brazil (the majo ...

'' (

Huckleberry Huckleberry is a name used in North America for several plants in the family Ericaceae, in two closely related genera: ''Vaccinium'' and '' Gaylussacia''. The huckleberry is the state fruit of Idaho. Nomenclature The name 'huckleberry' is a No ...

) * ''

Genista Genista is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, native to open habitats such as moorland and pasture in Europe and western Asia. They include species commonly called broom, though the term may also refer to other genera, i ...

'' (

) * * '' Gordonia'' ( Loblolly-bay) * * ''

Grevillea ''Grevillea'', commonly known as spider flowers, is a genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. Plants in the genus ''Grevillea'' are shrubs, rarely trees, with the leaves arranged alternately along the b ...

'' (Grevillea) * ''

Griselinia ''Griselinia'' is a genus of seven species of shrubs and trees, with a highly disjunct distribution native to New Zealand and South America. It is a classic example of the Antarctic flora. It is the sole genus in the family Griseliniaceae; in th ...

'' (Griselinia) * ;H * ''

Hakea ''Hakea'' ( ) is a genus of about 150 species of plants in the Family ''Proteaceae'', endemic to Australia. They are shrubs or small trees with leaves that are sometimes flat, otherwise circular in cross section in which case they are sometimes d ...

'' (Hakea) * * ''

Halesia ''Halesia'', also known as silverbell or snowdrop tree, is a small genus of four or five species of deciduous large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae. Range They are native to eastern Asia (southeast China) and eastern North ...

'' ( Silverbell) * * ''

Halimium ''Halimium'' (rockrose, false sun-rose, or halimium) is a genus of 12 species of evergreen or semi-evergreen subshrubs in the family Cistaceae, closely related to '' Cistus''. They are native to Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor, with the cent ...

'' (Rockrose) * '' Hamamelis'' (Witch-hazel) * * '' Hebe'' (Hebe) * ''

Hedera ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa an ...

'' (Ivy) * ''Helianthemum'' (Rockrose) * ''Hibiscus'' (Hibiscus) * * ''Hippophae'' (Sea-buckthorn) * * ''Hoheria'' (Lacebark) * * ''Holodiscus'' (Creambush) * ''Hudsonia'' (Hudsonia) * ''Hydrangea'' (Hydrangea) * ''Hypericum'' (Hypericum calycinum, Rose of Sharon) * ''Hyssopus (plant), Hyssopus'' (Hyssop) ;I * ''Ilex'' (Holly) * * ''Illicium'' (Star Anise) * * ''Indigofera'' (Indigo) * ''Itea (plant), Itea'' (Sweetspire) ;J * ''Jamesia'' (Cliffbush) * ''Jasminum'' (Jasmine) * ''Juniperus'' (Juniper) * ;K * ''Kalmia'' (Mountain-laurel) * ''Kerria (plant), Kerria'' (Kerria) * ''Kolkwitzia'' (Beautybush, Beauty-bush) ;L * ''Lagerstroemia'' (Crape-myrtle) * * ''Lapageria'' (Copihue) * ''Lantana'' (Lantana) * ''Lavandula'' (Lavender) * ''Lavatera'' (Tree Mallow) * ''Ledum'' (Ledum) * ''Leitneria'' (Corkwood) * * ''Lespedeza'' (Bush Clover) * * ''Leptospermum'' (Manuka) * * ''Leucothoe (plant), Leucothoe'' (Doghobble) * ''Leycesteria'' (Leycesteria) * ''Ligustrum'' (Privet) * * ''Lindera'' (Spicebush) * * ''Linnaea'' (Twinflower) * ''Lonicera'' (Honeysuckle) * ''Lupinus'' (Tree Lupin) * ''Lycium'' (Boxthorn) ;M * ''Magnolia'' (Magnolia) * ''Mahonia'' (Mahonia) * ''Malpighia'' (Acerola) * ''Menispermum'' (Moonseed) * ''Menziesia'' (Menziesia) * ''Mespilus'' (Medlar) * * ''Microcachrys'' (Microcachrys) * ''Myrica'' (Bayberry) * * ''Myricaria'' (Myricaria) * ''Myrtus'' and allied genera (Myrtle) * ;N * ''Neillia'' (Neillia) * ''Nerium'' (Oleander) ;O * ''Olearia'' (Daisy bush) * * ''Osmanthus'' (Osmanthus) ;P * ''Pachysandra'' (Pachysandra) * ''Peony, Paeonia'' (Tree-peony) * ''Persoonia'' (Geebungs) * ''Philadelphus'' (Mock orange) * * ''Phlomis'' (Jerusalem Sage) * ''Photinia'' (Photinia) * * ''Physocarpus'' (Ninebark) * * ''Pieris (plant), Pieris'' (Pieris) * ''Pistacia'' (Pistachio, Pistacia lentiscus, Mastic) * * ''Pittosporum'' (Pittosporum) * * ''Plumbago'' (Leadwort) * ''Polygala'' (Milkwort) * ''Poncirus'' * * ''Prunus'' (Cherry) * * ''Purshia'' (Antelope Bush) * ''Pyracantha'' (Firethorn) ;Q * ''Quassia'' (Quassia) * * ''Oak, Quercus'' (Oak) * * ''Quillaja'' (Quillay) * ''Quintinia'' (Tawheowheo) * ;R * ''Buckthorn, Rhamnus'' (Buckthorn) * * ''Rhododendron'' (Rhododendron, Azalea) * * ''Rhus'' (Sumac) * * ''Ribes'' (Currant, Gooseberry) * ''Romneya'' (Tree poppy) * ''Rose, Rosa'' (Rose) * ''Rosmarinus'' (Rosemary) * ''Rubus'' (Bramble, Raspberry, Salmonberry, Rubus phoenicolasius, Wineberry) * ''Ruta'' (Rue) ;S * ''Sabia (plant), Sabia'' * * ''Salix'' (Willow) * * ''Salvia'' (Sage) ** ''Salvia'' subg. ''Salvia'' subg. Perovskia, Perovskia'' (Russian Sage) * ''Sambucus'' (Elder) * * ''Santolina'' (Lavender Cotton) * ''Sapindus'' (Soapberry) * * ''Senecio'' (Senecio) * ''Jojoba, Simmondsia'' (Jojoba) * ''Skimmia'' (Skimmia) * ''Smilax'' (Smilax) * ''Sophora'' (Kowhai) * * ''Sorbaria'' (Sorbaria) * ''Spartium'' (Spanish Broom) * ''Spiraea'' (Spiraea) * * ''Staphylea'' (Bladdernut) * * ''Stephanandra'' (Stephanandra) * ''Styrax'' * * ''Symphoricarpos'' (Snowberry) * ''Syringa'' (Lilac) * ;T * ''Tamarix'' (Tamarix) * * ''Taxus'' (Yew) * * ''Waratah, Telopea'' (Waratah) * * ''Thuja'' cvs. (Arborvitae) * * ''Thymelaea'' * ''Thyme, Thymus'' (Thyme) * ''Trochodendron'' * ;U * ''Ulex'' (Gorse) * ''Ulmus pumila celer'' (Turkestan elm – Wonder Hedge) * ''Ungnadia'' (Mexican Buckeye) ;V * ''Vaccinium'' (Bilberry, Blueberry, Cranberry) * ''Verbesina centroboyacana'' * ''Vervain, Verbena'' (Vervain) * ''Viburnum'' (Viburnum) * * ''Vinca'' (Periwinkle) * ''Viscum'' (Mistletoe) ;W * ''Weigela'' (Weigela) ;X * ''Xanthoceras'' * ''Xanthorhiza'' (Yellowroot) * ''Xylosma'' ;Y * ''Yucca'' (Yucca, Yucca brevifolia, Joshua tree) * ;Z * ''Zanthoxylum'' * * ''Zauschneria'' * ''Zenobia (plant), Zenobia'' * ''Ziziphus'' *

References

{{Authority control Plants Plant morphology Shrubs, Lists of plants Plant life-forms Plants by habit