undershrub

American  

[uhn-der-shruhb] / ˈʌn dərˌʃrʌb /

noun

1. a low shrub.

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undershrub British  

/ ˈʌndəˌʃrʌb /

noun

1. another name for subshrub

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Etymology

Origin of undershrub

First recorded in 1590–1600; under- + shrub ¹

Example Sentences

The floor of the redwood forest in our northern coast counties is often carpeted with this little undershrub, while in other places one can wade waist-deep in it.

From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

It is an evergreen climbing undershrub, having whitish green flowers, and grows readily from suckers.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by Simmonds, P. L.

It is an undershrub, the stem of which is compressed and angular below, and armed with prickles at the angles.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by Simmonds, P. L.

I took a botanical account of stock of our domains before the dew was off, and found that the ground-hemlock, or American yew, was the prevailing undershrub.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 08, June 1858 by Various

A native undershrub of very variable size, according to the position in which it is found growing.

From Hardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and Shrubs by Webster, Angus Duncan