Shrub
Shrub woody, perennial plant smaller than a tree, usually having permanent stems branching from or near the ground, make ground cover in both natural forests and cultivated lands. Most of the shrubs are hardy and grow in all types of soils. Many shrubs are important as garden plants and also as fruit plants. Plants like Bauhinia alba, Cassia alata, Ixora coccinia, Caesalpinia pulcherima, Tabernaemontana, and roses are common garden shrubs. Mussaenda, Murraya, Nerium, Lagerstroemia indica, Thunbergia errecta grow in full sun. Foliage shrubs like Codiaeum, Erianthemum and Kathalichapa grow well in shade. Duranta repens, Justicia ganderussa, Ixora, Lantana and Gandharaj are the common hedge shrubs. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Jasminum pubescens, J. grandiflorum, Murraya exotica are common garden shrubs.
| Some common shrubs | |
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Shrubs constitute the largest group among the perennial ornaments grown in gardens, parks and islands of roads. Foliage plants like Acalypha, Coleus, Polystacias species, Manihot and Euphorbia pulcherrima are also common garden shrubs. It is estimated that about 14% of Bangladesh flora is shrubby and almost all of them are Dicotyledonous. Shrubs constitute the conspicuous lower strata in natural forests and major strata in denuded forests of Bangladesh. Shrubs by monocotyledonous plants like some bamboo and canes are the common plants of forests and countryside. Some common wild and cultivated shrubs are considered medicinally important. These include Woodfordia fruticosa, Rauwolfia serpentina, Nyctanthes arbortristis, Lawsonia inermis, Cassia alata, Calotropis species and Adhatoda vasica. [Mostafa Kamal Pasha]
