Word of the Day: shrub
A woody plant that is shorter than a tree and usually has several stems that branch from the base. These are not hard-and-fast distinctions; a tree may have two or more trunks. For example, the cornelian cherry, Cornus mas, is generally described as a shrub although it easily grows to 25 feet. The Sargent crab apple, Malus sargentii, may top out at 12 feet but is generally considered a tree. In these cases, a plant is often described as a shrub or small tree, depending on how it is used in the landscape and whether or not the lower branches have been removed. See also bush.