Minecraft wiki entry for Removed_blocks, associated text: Having been given a unique name, as well as being intentionally programmed to not be tinted unlike all other metadata values of its block ID, it can be assumed that the inclusion of the shrub was intended to a certain degree, although likely only as a prototype of sorts, as the dead bush was included in the same version that added shrubs, and shrubs were unobtainable through normal means whereas the dead bush appeared everywhere. It not being removed in 1.8, as detailed below, strengthens this assertion.