A '''shrub''' or '''bush''' is a [[horticulture|horticultural]] rather than strictly [[Botany|botanical]] category of [[woody plant]], distinguished from a [[tree]] by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience. Small, low shrubs such as [[lavender]], [[Vinca|periwinkle]] and [[thyme]] are often termed [[subshrub]]s.
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A woody plant that remains low and produces [[shoot]]s or [[trunk]]s from the base.{{SCH}}
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A natural plant community dominated by shrubs is called a [[shrubland]]. The word [[bush]] can also refer to a type of plant community, as in the Australian bush. This is often characterised by scrubby, open woodland and is a generic term for [[Eucalyptus]] dominated woodland in particular.
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An area of [[cultivation|cultivated]] shrubs in a [[park]] or [[garden]] is known as a [[shrubbery]]. When clipped as [[topiary]], shrubs generally have dense [[foliage]] and many small leafy [[branch]]es growing close together. Many shrubs respond well to renewal [[pruning]], in which hard cutting back to a 'stool' results in long new stems known as "canes". Other shrubs respond better to selective pruning to reveal their structure and character.
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Shrubs in common garden practice are generally [[flowering plant|broad-leaved plants]], though some smaller [[Pinophyta|conifers]] such as [[Mountain Pine]] and [[Common Juniper]] are also shrubby in structure. Shrubs can be either [[deciduous]] or [[evergreen]].
==List of shrubs (bushes)==
==List of shrubs (bushes)==
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*''[[Ziziphus]]'' *
*''[[Ziziphus]]'' *
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==External links==
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*[http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/shrubselector/ Selecting Shrubs for Your Home] (University of Illinois Extension)