understory
noun
un·der·sto·ry ˈən-dər-ˌstȯr-ē 
1
: an underlying layer of vegetation
specifically : the vegetative layer and especially the trees and shrubs between the forest canopy and the ground cover
2
: the plants that form the understory
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Its glowing red eyes peered from the understory in Olympic National Forest in Washington. 
Leah Sottile, Outside Online, 5 July 2016 The Moose Fire on Tuesday grew to nearly 60 square miles burning grass, timber understory and dead and down material in the Salmon-Challis National Forest. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 28 July 2022 Fern fanned out in the understory, along with canelo trees, bamboo, and tall, slender alerce, for which this park is named. New York Times, 27 July 2022 The camp is structured around improvised shelters, with places designated for cooking, working, fixing and building things and trails between smaller satellite dwellings, little neighborhoods amid the forest understory. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 24 June 2022 And their size — and the size of everything around them, like jumbo-sized ferns in the understory — can mess with your sense of scale. Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 While drought has altered the landscape, there’s still a thriving understory of blooming shrubs and wildflowers. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 22 June 2022 Of particular concern are areas with hundreds of mature trees per acre and an understory of young conifers and sagebrush and manzanita. Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2022 This occurred because the section of mountain right above it is compromised: the understory is weak, the trees are deprived of water, and the frail moss and lichen can’t properly absorb the rain. Danielle Bernabe, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2022 See More
Leah Sottile, Outside Online, 5 July 2016 The Moose Fire on Tuesday grew to nearly 60 square miles burning grass, timber understory and dead and down material in the Salmon-Challis National Forest. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 28 July 2022 Fern fanned out in the understory, along with canelo trees, bamboo, and tall, slender alerce, for which this park is named. New York Times, 27 July 2022 The camp is structured around improvised shelters, with places designated for cooking, working, fixing and building things and trails between smaller satellite dwellings, little neighborhoods amid the forest understory. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 24 June 2022 And their size — and the size of everything around them, like jumbo-sized ferns in the understory — can mess with your sense of scale. Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 While drought has altered the landscape, there’s still a thriving understory of blooming shrubs and wildflowers. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 22 June 2022 Of particular concern are areas with hundreds of mature trees per acre and an understory of young conifers and sagebrush and manzanita. Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2022 This occurred because the section of mountain right above it is compromised: the understory is weak, the trees are deprived of water, and the frail moss and lichen can’t properly absorb the rain. Danielle Bernabe, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1