boxthorn vs shrub

boxthorn and shrub both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
boxthorn	Yes	No	No	No
shrub	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, shrub is a hypernym of boxthorn; that is, shrub is a word with a broader meaning than boxthorn:

boxthorn: any of various shrubs or vines of the genus Lycium with showy flowers and bright berries
shrub: a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

Other hypernyms of boxthorn include bush.

boxthorn (noun)	shrub (noun)
any of various shrubs or vines of the genus Lycium with showy flowers and bright berries	a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems