A prostrate shrub is a

woody plant A woody plant is a plant that produces wood as its structural tissue and thus has a hard stem. In cold climates, woody plants further survive winter or dry season above ground, as opposed to Herbaceous plant, herbaceous plants that die back to t ...

, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ground, rather than being held erect as are the branches of most trees and shrubs.

Background

Prostration may occur because the supporting tissues in stems are not strong enough to support the weight of the plant, causing the plant to bend until it reaches the ground. Alternatively, it may occur because of a genetic disposition for branches to grow horizontally on or just under the ground; for example, as a strategy to avoid overly strong sunlight. Finally, environmental factors such as strong winds laden with sand or salt may tend to prune away erect branches, thereby creating a prostrate habit in plants that may not be predisposed to prostration.

Ecology

Prostrate shrubs are used in

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows low over an area of ground, which protects the topsoil from erosion and drought. In a terrestrial ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as the ...

s and in hanging baskets, and to bind soils and prevent

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

in remedial

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

. They are also important components of

rock gardens A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small ...

. The shrinking size of urban gardens has meant an increase in demand for and desirability of dwarf and prostrate forms of many garden plants. More recently, prostrate shrubs have received attention for their usefulness in planting

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...

s and

green wall A green wall is a vertical built structure intentionally covered by vegetation. Green walls include a vertically applied growth medium such as soil, substitute substrate, or hydroculture felt; as well as an integrated hydration and fertigation ...

s, where they can contribute to

environmental conservation Environmental conservation may refer to: * Environmental protection * Nature conservation {{disambiguation ...

. Prostrate plant forms may arise from deliberate breeding and hybridisation, such as the groundcover grevilleas, including ''Grevillea'' "Poorinda Royal Mantle",Stewart, p. 114 and ''G.'' "Bronze Rambler",Stewart, p. 110 or by selection of forms of plants growing in exposed areas. The windswept coastal heathlands and cliffs of far southeastern New South Wales have yielded ''Banksia'' 'Roller Coaster' and ''Banksia'' 'Pygmy Possum'.Stewart, p. 102 These are flattened varieties of less than 0.5 m in height of the species '' Banksia integrifolia'' and ''

Banksia serrata ''Banksia serrata'', commonly known as the saw banksia, the old man banksia, the saw-tooth banksia or the red honeysuckle and as wiriyagan by the Cadigal people, is a species of woody shrub or tree of the genus ''Banksia'', in the family P ...

'', respectively, both of which grow to sizeable trees of 10 m (30 ft) or more in height. The origin of others is unclear; Cootamundra Wattle (''

Acacia baileyana ''Acacia baileyana'', commonly known as Cootamundra wattle, Bailey's wattle or golden mimosa, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales, although it has become Naturalisation (b ...

'') is a popular and widely used garden plant in Australia, a prostrate form of which is also in cultivation. Its origin is unknown, possibly a chance seedling in cultivation. It itself is a popular garden plant, its cascading horizontal branches good for rockeries.Stewart, p. 156

Species

Many species of roses grow as long canes that can spread prostrate on the ground, and some of these have been hybridized to form climbing and rambling roses that can be allowed to grow on the ground without support, as well as varieties known as " carpet roses" that are intended to be grown as ground covers. Prostrate juniper, ''Juniperus communis'' subsp. ''alpina'' is a naturally occurring form of a popular

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

.Adams, R. P. (2004). ''Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus''. Victoria: Trafford. . Many species of '' Cotoneaster'', such as ''C. apiculatus'', are prostrate ornamentals,Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan . as are the closely related '' Pyracanthas'', and the ''humilis'' variant of sweetbox, '' Sarcococca hookeriana'' var. ''humilis''. Heaths (''

Erica carnea ''Erica carnea'', the winter heath, winter-flowering heather, spring heath or alpine heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Ericaceae, native plant, native to mountainous areas of central, eastern and southern Euro ...

'' and related species) and heathers ( ''Calluna vulgaris'') are prostrate shrubs often featured prominently in rock gardens. Wintergreens such as '' Gaultheria humifusa'' and '' Gaultheria procumbens'' are also prostrate growers.Borealforest
''Gaultheria procumbens''
/ref> Although, strictly speaking, herbaceous, the North American bunchberry (''

Cornus canadensis ''Cornus canadensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae, native plant, native to eastern Asia and North America. Common names include Canadian dwarf cornel, Canadian bunchberry, quatre-temps, crackerberry, and creepi ...

''), a member of the

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods or cornels, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous ...

genus, can appear as a prostrate shrub when growing in the garden. Many daphnes, particularly those derived from '' Daphne odora'', are prostrate growers, including forms that are highly fragrant and have variegated leaves, although they are short-lived. Some forms of the culinary

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is a member of the sage family, Lamiaceae. The species is native to the Mediterranean r ...

(''Rosmarinus officinalis'') form prostrate shrubs when grown in

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

s, although they die back to the ground when grown where winters are colder. National Non-Food Crops Centre
"Rosemary"
Retrieved on 2009-04-23.

References

Cited text

* {{botany Shrubs Plant morphology Garden plants Groundcovers

Background

Ecology

Species

See also

References

Cited text