Ligneous Plants

A shrub or bush is a small- to medium-sized woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple stems and shorter height and are usually under 6 m (20 ft) tall.Plants of many species may grow either into shrubs or trees depending on their growing conditions. Small low shrubs generally less than 2 m (6.6 ft) tall such as lavender periwinkle and most small garden varieties of rose are often termed subshrubs. Wood is primarily composed of xylem cells with cell walls made of cellulose and lignin. Xylem is a vascular tissue which moves water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves. Most woody plants form new layers of woody tissue each year.