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{{Short description|Vegetation dominated by shrubs}}
[[File:Starr 010831-0016 Morella faya.jpg|thumb|right|Low shrubland in [[Hawaii]]]]
[[File:Scrub brush vegetation in south TX IMG 6069.JPG|right|thumb|Scrub vegetation with [[cactus]] in [[Webb County, Texas|Webb County]] in south [[Texas]]]]

'''Shrubland''', '''scrubland''', '''scrub''', '''brush''', or '''bush''' is a [[plant community]] characterized by [[vegetation]] [[dominance (ecology)|dominated]] by [[shrub]]s, often also including [[grass]]es, [[Herbaceous plant|herb]]s, and [[geophyte]]s. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It may be the mature [[vegetation type]] in a particular region and remain stable over time, or a transitional community that occurs temporarily as the result of a disturbance, such as fire. A stable state may be maintained by regular natural disturbance such as fire or [[browsing (predation)|browsing]]. Shrubland may be unsuitable for human habitation because of the danger of fire. The term was coined in 1903.<ref>Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003).</ref>

Shrubland species generally show a wide range of [[adaptations]] to fire, such as heavy seed production, [[lignotubers]], and fire-induced germination.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Mares, Michael S.|chapter=Fire|title=Encyclopedia of deserts|year=1999|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-3146-7|page=215|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g3CbqZtaF4oC&pg=PA215}}</ref>

== Botanical structural form ==
In [[botany]] and [[ecology]] a shrub is defined as a much-branched [[woody plant]] less than 8 m high and usually with many [[Plant stem|stems]]. Tall shrubs are mostly 2–8 m high, small shrubs 1–2 m high and [[subshrub]]s less than 1 m high.<ref>''Flora of New South Wales'', Vol.4 ed. Gwen J. Harden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney {{ISBN|0-86840-188-9}}</ref>

There is a descriptive system widely adopted in [[Australia]] to describe different types of vegetation is based on [[Canopy (biology)|structural characteristics]] based on [[plant life-form]], plus the height and foliage cover of the tallest stratum or [[Dominance (ecology)|dominant]] [[species]].<ref>Costermans, L. F. (1993) ''Native trees and shrubs of South-Eastern Australia''. rev. ed. {{ISBN|0-947116-76-1}}</ref>
[[File:Prince Edward County Bird Observatory Scrubland.JPG|thumb|right|Shrubland in [[Prince Edward County, Ontario|Prince Edward County]], Ontario.]]
For shrubs 2–8 m high the following structural forms result:
* dense foliage cover (70–100%) — '''closed-scrub'''
* mid-dense foliage cover (30–70%) — '''open-scrub'''
* very sparse foliage cover (<10%) — '''tall open shrubland'''

For shrubs <2 m high the following structural forms result:
* dense foliage cover (70–100%) — '''closed-[[heath (habitat)|heath]]'''
* mid-dense foliage cover (30–70%) — '''open-heath'''
* sparse foliage cover (10–30%) — '''low shrubland'''
* very sparse foliage cover (<10%) — '''low open shrubland'''

== Biome plant group ==
[[File:Fynbos.jpg|thumb|right|Fynbos in South Africa]]
Similarly, shrubland is a category used to describe a type of [[biome]] plant group. In this context, shrublands are dense thickets of evergreen [[sclerophyll]] shrubs and small trees,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=98|title=Mediterranean Shrublands|work=Geography 235|last=Woodward|first=Susan|publisher=Radford University|access-date=2010-10-07}}</ref> called:
* [[Chaparral]] in [[California]]
* [[Matorral]] in [[Chile]], [[Mexico]], and [[Spain]]
* [[maquis shrubland|Maquis]] in [[France]] and elsewhere around the [[Mediterranean]]
* [[Macchia]] in [[Italy]]
* [[Fynbos]] in [[South Africa]]
* [[Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub]] in [[Sydney]]
* [[Kwongan]] in Southwest [[Western Australia|Australia]]
* [[Juniperus ashei|Cedar scrub]] in [[Texas Hill Country]]
* [[Caatinga]] in northestern Brazil

In some places shrubland is the mature vegetation type, and in other places the result of degradation of former [[forest]] or [[woodland]] by [[logging]] or [[overgrazing]], or disturbance by major fires.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

A number of [[World Wildlife Fund]] biomes are characterized as shrublands, including:<ref name=xeric/><ref name=medi/>

;Desert scrublands
[[File:Nullabor plain from the indian pacific.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Nullarbor plain]] in Australia]]
''Xeric'' or ''desert scrublands'' occur in the world's [[deserts and xeric shrublands]] ecoregions, or in areas of fast-draining sandy soils in more humid regions. These scrublands are characterized by plants with adaptations to the dry climate, which include small leaves to limit water loss, thorns to protect them from grazing animals, succulent leaves or stems, [[storage organ]]s to store water, and long taproots to reach groundwater.<ref name=xeric>{{cite web|url=http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/selecting_terrestrial_ecoregions/habitat13.cfm|title=Deserts and Xeric Shrublands|publisher=[[World Wildlife Fund]]|access-date=2010-10-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102145352/http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/selecting_terrestrial_ecoregions/habitat13.cfm|archive-date=2011-01-02}}</ref>

;Mediterranean scrublands
''Mediterranean scrublands'' occur naturally in the [[Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub]] [[biome]]s, located in the five [[Mediterranean climate]] regions of the world. Scrublands are most common near the seacoast, and have often adapted to the wind and salt air of the ocean. Low, soft-leaved scrublands around the [[Mediterranean Basin]] are known as ''[[garrigue]]'' in [[France]], ''phrygana'' in [[Greece]], ''tomillares'' in [[Spain]], and ''batha'' in [[Israel]]. [[Northern coastal scrub]] and [[coastal sage scrub]] occur along the [[California]] coast, [[strandveld]] in the [[Western Cape]] of [[South Africa]], coastal matorral in [[Chilean Matorral|central Chile]], and sand-heath and [[kwongan]] in [[Southwest Australia]].<ref name=medi>{{cite web|title=Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands and Scrub|url=http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/mediterranean_forests_scrub.cfm|publisher=[[World Wildlife Fund]]|access-date=2010-10-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111005657/http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/mediterranean_forests_scrub.cfm|archive-date=2017-01-11}}</ref>

;Interior scrublands
''Interior scrublands'' occur naturally in semi-arid areas where soils are nutrient-poor, such as on the [[Matorral|matas]] of [[Portugal]] which are underlain by [[Cambrian]] and [[Silurian]] [[schists]]. [[Florida scrub]] is another example of interior scrublands.

;Dwarf shrubs
[[File:Shira moorlands on Kilimanjaro.jpg|thumb|right|Moorland on [[Kilimanjaro]]]]
Some vegetation types are formed of ''[[Chamaephyte|dwarf-shrub]]s'': low-growing or creeping shrubs. These include the [[Maquis shrubland|maquis]] and [[garrigue]]s of Mediterranean climates, and the acid-loving dwarf shrubs of [[heathland]] and [[moorland]].

== See also ==
* [[Fynbos]]
* [[Maquis shrubland|Maquis]]
* [[Prostrate shrub]]
* [[Semi-desert]]
* [[Shrub-steppe]]
* [[Shrub swamp]]
* [[Moorland]]

== Notes and references ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons-inline}}

{{Vegetation}}

[[Category:Shrublands| ]]

Shrubland - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article