240 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 
SHRUBS 
The shrubs are the “little people” of the forest. They 
are woody plants which branch directly at the ground 
instead of combining all their growth into a single stem 
as do the trees. 
Certain species like the witch-hazel and the rhodo- 
dendron are trees in the South while in the Northern 
States, owing to less favorable climatic conditions, a 
shorter growing season, etc., they become bushy. In 
the same way trees may take on a prostrate form near 
the timber line on very high mountains. As one climbs 
a high mountain range the trees get shorter and 
shorter until finally as the region is approached where 
tree growth gives way to rocks and everlasting snow 
the trees found there, like spruces and firs, for in- 
stance, cannot raise their heads over several feet above 
the ground on account of the cold. Hach root system 
nourishes a dense mat of branches which may cover 
many square feet of surface but which is only a foot or 
two in height. 
The number of shrub species found in all parts of 
the United States is enormous, there being no less 
than seven hundred different species in the hawthorn 
genus alone; so a very large book is needed to describe 
them all. A very few of the most common are given 
here and special attention has been paid to the larger 
and more attractive kinds which are to be found in 
parks and gardens. Aside from their use in ornamental 
planting many of the shrubs yield dyes, drugs, etc., 
and such are being cultivated on a small scale in dif- 
ferent parts of the country. The study of shrubs like 
that of trees yields large returns in the form of added 
pleasure to walks in the woods and it is hoped that the 
