What Is a Shrub

A shrub is a woody plant that has no obvious main trunk and usually branches near the ground. The plant is generally rather low, mostly within a few meters in height. Compared with a tree, a shrub's branches are already dense from the base, its crown stays close to the ground, and its overall form is compact, making it a very common type of plant in landscaping.

Divided by habit, shrubs can roughly be placed into two categories: evergreen shrubs and deciduous shrubs. Evergreen shrubs such as gardenia, azalea and camellia keep their leaves green all year round; deciduous shrubs such as winter jasmine, forsythia and Chinese rose drop their leaves and go dormant in winter, then sprout again in spring. If divided by the part valued for ornamental viewing, there are also differences between flower, foliage and fruit types; for example, the Chinese rose is prized for its flowers, red-leaf photinia for its leaves, and pyracantha for its fruit.

Shrubs have a very wide range of uses. In gardens they are often used as hedges, color blocks and flowerbed borders, and can also be planted singly or in clumps to accent a courtyard; some shrubs have well-developed root systems and can also help hold soil, protect slopes, block wind and reduce dust. In addition, shrubs such as goji and honeysuckle have both edible and medicinal value, and many dwarf varieties are also suitable for potted display, used to beautify balconies and indoor spaces.

Many people easily confuse shrubs with trees. The key to telling them apart lies in the main trunk: those with an obvious upright main trunk and a tall body are trees, while those that branch from near the ground and lack an obvious main trunk are mostly shrubs. A few plants fall between the two and can appear as trees or shrubs under different environments, so their actual growth form needs to be considered when making a judgment.