The presence of vegetation in rivers, streams and riparian zones affects significantly the flow field and consequently the resistance, pollutant dispersion, sediment transport and ecological habitat. In this paper, a comparative study is undertaken to investigate the effect of an array of simple rigid or compound semi-flexible elements, resembling submerged small plants, on key features of the flow field. . Measurements were taken by means of a 3-D ADV instrument at selected locations within the vegetation array and downstream of it. Vertical profiles of the (temporal mean) velocities and turbulent shear stresses were obtained and compared.