noun
- the layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest
Usage: ecology; forestry
Examples
- The understory was thick with ferns and small shrubs.
- Many birds nest in the forest understory rather than the canopy.
- Hikers had to push through the dense understory to reach the clearing.
- The understory receives less sunlight than the forest floor.
- Scientists studied the biodiversity of the tropical understory.
- Young trees compete for space in the crowded understory.