subshrub

Dictionary: sub·shrub   (sŭb'shrŭb')

1. An herb having a woody lower stem.
2. A low shrub; an undershrub.

A perennial plant with woody stems at the base and tender new growth that dies back more or less each winter. The term is sometimes wrongly used to describe a low-growing shrub.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base
  Synonym: suffrutex

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A subshrub (Latin suffrutex) is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody perennial plant. It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting only for a few years. Small, low shrubs such as lavender, periwinkle, and thyme, and many members of the family Ericaceae, such as cranberries, are often classed as subshrubs.

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