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shrub

shrub

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

shrub any woody, perennial, bushy plant that branches into several stems or trunks at the base and is smaller than a tree . Shrubs are an important feature of permanent landscape planting, being used for formal decorative groups, hedges, screens, and background plantings, to which they contribute pattern, color, fragrance, or utility. In the natural style of landscape gardening they are simply allowed to grow untended, but in many gardens they are pruned in the spring or fall for greater shapeliness and to induce more compact growth. Many shrubs are beautiful even in winter because some keep their green foliage (as in the evergreen arborvitae and rhododendron), while many deciduous shrubs have decorative stem and branch forms or brightly colored fruits. Among the most frequently used shrubs in NE America are the lilac, viburnum, forsythia, azalea, flowering shadbush, cotoneaster, and barberry. In arid, arctic, and other regions of extreme climatic conditions where trees do not thrive, shrubs often provide valuable forage for wildlife and livestock as well as wood for local construction and for fuel. Tree species may grow as shrubs under unfavorable environmental conditions, and the distinction between trees and shrubs becomes one of usage rather than of strictly botanical characteristics.

Bibliography: See D. Wyman, Shrubs and Vines for American Gardens (rev. ed. 1969).

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shrub

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

shrub1 / shrəb/ • n. a woody plant that is smaller than a tree and has several main stems arising at or near the ground. DERIVATIVES: shrub·by adj. shrub2 • n. 1. a drink made of sweetened fruit juice and liquor, typically rum or brandy. 2. a slightly acid cordial made from fruit juice and water.

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"shrub." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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shrub

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences | 1998 | | Copyright

shrub A perennial woody plant, less than 10 m tall, which branches below or near ground level into several main stems, although it has no clear trunk. It may be deciduous (e.g. hawthorn) or evergreen (e.g. holly). At the end of each growing season there is no die-back of the aerial parts, apart from the loss of foliage. Compare HERB; SUBSHRUB; and TREE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "shrub." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "shrub." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-shrub.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "shrub." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-shrub.html

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shrub

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

shrub1 woody plant smaller than a tree. OE. sċrybb (evidenced Once), *sċrybb prob. ‘shrubbery, underwood’; cf. NFris. skrobb broom, brushwood, WFlem. schrobbe climbing wild pea or vetch, Norw. skrubba dwarf cornel, Da. dial. skrub brushwood. Cf. SCRUB2.
Hence shrubbery XVIII.
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T. F. HOAD. "shrub." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "shrub." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-shrub.html

T. F. HOAD. "shrub." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-shrub.html

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shrub

A Dictionary of Ecology | 2004 | | Copyright

shrub(bush) A woody plant which branches below or near ground level into several main stems, so has no clear trunk. It may be deciduous (e.g. hawthorn) or evergreen (e.g. holly). At the end of each growing season there is no die-back of the axes. Compare herb; subshrub; and tree.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "shrub." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "shrub." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-shrub.html

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shrub

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

shrub (bush) Woody, perennial plant that is smaller than a tree. Instead of having a main stem, a shrub branches at, or slightly above, ground level into several stems. Its hard stem distinguishes it from an herb.
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shrub

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

shrub2 drink prepared from acid fruit, etc. XVIII. — Arab. šarāb sb. drink, f. šariba vb. drink.
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T. F. HOAD. "shrub." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-shrub1.html

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shrub

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition | 2005 | | Copyright

shrub A bottled cordial made from various fruits, spirits, and sugar.
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DAVID A. BENDER. "shrub." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAVID A. BENDER. "shrub." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-shrub.html

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shrub

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

shrub •blub, bub, chub, Chubb, club, cub, drub, dub, flub, grub, hub, nub, pub, rub, scrub, shrub, slub, snub, stub, sub, tub •Beelzebub • hubbub • syllabub •wolfcub • nightclub • bathtub •twintub • washtub

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Shrubs brighten fall, winter landscape.(Home Garden)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 10/23/2011
Shrubs provide structure for a winter garden.(Home & Garden)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 2/2/2003
Shrubs add beauty, texture to shady areas.(Home & Garden)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 6/6/1999

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