a very short woody plant.

Somewhat or slightly shrublike; usually a plant with a stem that is woody at the base, but mostly herbaceous.

low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base

A plant with more or less woody branches and roots, less woody than a true shrub, but more woody than a perennial herbaceous plant; a small shrub, woody only at the base.

Very small shrub or low woody perennial, generally under 15cm (6in) high.

A subshrub (Latin suffrutex) is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody perennial plant, distinguished from a shrub by variously 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 only persisting 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.