Bush is any woody plant that is smaller than a tree and does not climb. A bush has many branches, but no main central stem. Azalea, barberry, currant, forsythia, gooseberry, hazelnut, lilac, manzanita, privet, pussy willow, and rhododendron are familiar bushes. Some roses are bushes, but others are climbers.
The word bush is sometimes used interchangeably with shrub. But the two words do not have exactly the same meaning. A shrub does not necessarily have many branches. An herb such as tumbleweed, which has a broadly rounded form with many branches, is bushybranched but not shrubby. See Shrub .
People often refer to any large wild area covered with trees and bushes as bush. The San people of Africa are sometimes called Bushmen (see San ).
