Lantana strigocamara R.W. Sanders

Common Lantana; Hedge Flower; Shrub Verbena

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Common Lantana is an introduced frost tender shrub in the Verbena family (Verbenaceae). It is native to Central and South America. Common Lantana is widely cultivated, and now occurs worldwide in temperate and tropical areas. In Alabama it occurs in the southern two thirds of the state. Common Lantana grows on dunes, around old home sites, along railroads, on roadsides, in vacant lots, and in disturbed woodlands. It is a perennial multi-branched shrub reaching heights of 6-8 feet. The above ground portions of the plant are cold sensitive and are usually killed back to ground level each winter. The stems become somewhat woody at the base. Stems are angled when young, pubescent and glandular. Older stems are armed with prickles. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate to ovate-lanceolate in outline, with crenate (rounded teeth) margins. The foliage is pubescent and scabrous (rough to the touch). Foliage and stems produce an unpleasant odor when crushed. Flowers are produced in head-like spikes from the axils of the leaves. The flowers are subtended by a whorl of narrow bracts that are widest at the base. The corolla is 4 lobed. Flower color ranges from white through yellow, orange, red, and pink. After pollination, the color of the flower changes as a signal to pollinators. The fruit is a 2 seeded berry that becomes dark purple or black at maturity. Common Lantana is available from many nurseries. A number of forms and cultivars are available. It can also be grown from seed or cuttings. Common Lantana is heat and drought tolerant and thrives in poor soils. The foliage is toxic to herbivores and it has few insect pests. Common Lantana is also allelopathic—releasing chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of other plants. Common Lantana flowers throughout the warmer months, and its flowers attract a wide range of butterflies, bees, and other insects. Common Lantana is listed as a Category 2 invasive species by the Alabama Invasive Plant Council.--A. Diamond

The name Lantana camara L. has long been misapplied to this taxon by numerous authors(Sanders 2006; 2012).

Not Native FACU (NWPL)

Sanders, R.W. 2006. Taxonomy of Lantana sect. Lantana (Verbenaceae): I. Correct application of Lantana camara and associated names. Sida 22: 381- 421. Sanders, R.W. 2012. Taxonomy of Lantana sect. Lantana (Verbenaceae): II. Taxonomic revision. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 6: 403-441.