Definition of "understorey"

The two middle storeys of the towers are adorned with one tier of Corinthian pilasters in the style of Lord Carlisle's house at Castle Howard. The understorey is rustic.

1760, Richard Pococke, quotee, “Art. VI.—The Annals of Banff. Compiled by William Cramond, M.A., LL.D. Printed for the New Spalding Club. Aberdeen, 1893. [book review]”, in John Taylor Coleridge, editor, The Quarterly Review, volume 186, number 371, London: John Murray, […], published July 1897, page 155

Q. VVhat did you find? / A. I found in a cloſet in the under ſtorey of VVatt's houſe a dozen of ſpears.

1793 November 19, John Hill Blanchard (recorder), quoting William Middleton (witness), Trial of Robert Watt, for High Treason, before the Court, under the Special Commission of Oyer and Terminer, Held at Edinburgh. […], Edinburgh: […] William Brown, […], published 1795, page 131

Throughout the pre-European tussock grassland, and more especially in gullies, on terrace edges and wherever the surface configuration of the plains was broken, woody plants occurred, including occasionally surviving residues of podocarp forest understoreys.

1971, Kenneth B[railey] Cumberland, “Climatic Change or Cultural Interference? New Zealand in Moahunter Times”, in S. R. Eyre, editor, World Vegetation Types (Geographical Readings), London: Palgrave Macmillan, page 219

The very tall trees and dense understorey of shrubs and ferns found in ash forests provide magnificent scenery, and afford an excellent habitat for well known wildlife species, such as lyrebirds, possums, and wallabies.

1986, Erle Bourke, “Forestry”, in Victorian Year Book 1986, number 100, Melbourne, Vic.: Victorian Office, Australian Bureau of Statistics, pages 222–223

In order to further narrow down the field of formation types reference is now made to the type of understorey that is found beneath the crowns or canopies of the dominant plants.

1994, Ian G. Read, “The Classification of Vegetation”, in The Bush: A Guide to the Vegetated Landscapes of Australia, Sydney, N.S.W.: University of New South Wales Press, part 2 (The Structural Formations of Australia’s Vegetation), page 28, column 1

An understorey is typically defined as the vegetation layer between the ground layer (up to approximately one metre) and the overstorey. Some woodland vegetation types support only a sparse understorey.

2011, David B. Lindenmayer, “What Makes a Good Remnant?”, in What Makes a Good Farm for Wildlife?, Collingwood, Vic.: CSIRO Publishing, page 24

In Hawaii, Red-billed Leiothrix were 92% more abundant in discontinuous forest that had dense understoreys with abundantly fruiting bushes as opposed to continuous forest with bare understoreys […].

2020, Lorinda A. Hart, “Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea Scopoli, 1786)”, in Colleen T. Downs, Lorinda A. Hart, editors, Invasive Birds: Global Trends and Impacts, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Boston, Mass.: CABI, page 66, column 1