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Lantana () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropics regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the -Pacific Islands region, South and Northeastern part of India. The genus includes both Herbaceous plant plants and growing to tall. Their common names are shrub verbenas or lantanas. The generic name originated in Late Latin, where it refers to the unrelated Viburnum lantana.
Lantana's aromatic flower clusters (called ) are a mix of red, orange, yellow, or blue and white . Other colors exist as new varieties are being selected. The flowers typically change color as they mature, resulting in that are two- or three-colored.
"Wild lantanas" are plants of the unrelated genus Abronia, usually called "sand-verbenas".
The spread of lantana is aided by the fact that their leaves are poisonous to most animals and thus avoided by herbivores, while their fruit is a delicacy for many , including the yellow-fronted white-eye of Vanuatu, the superb fairy-wren in Australia, the scaly-breasted munia, and the Mauritius bulbul in the Mascarenes; these Seed dispersal the seeds and thereby spread lantana throughout the ecosystem.
Biological control of introduced lantanas has been attempted, without robust success. In Australia, about 30 insects have been introduced in an attempt to control the spread of lantanas, and this has caused problems of its own. The lantana bug ( Aconophora compressa) for example is a species introduced in 1995 that feeds on dozens of plants, and not only has it failed to have a noticeable impact on the lantana population, it has even become a pest in horticulture, parasitizing the related fiddlewoods ( Citharexylum). The small Lantana-feeding Epinotia lantana and Lantanophaga pusillidactyla, while not becoming pests, have nonetheless failed to stem the spread of the invasive weed, as has the lantana scrub-hairstreak butterfly ( Strymon bazochii) which was introduced to control lantanas on the Hawaiian Islands.
Other Lepidoptera whose feed on lantana species include the common splendid ghost moth ( Aenetus ligniveren), Aenetus scotti, Endoclita malabaricus, Hypercompe orsa and the setaceous Hebrew character ( Xestia c-nigrum). The swamp wallaby ( Wallabia bicolor) is one of the few that eat lantana leaves without apparent ill effect.
Lantanas are useful as , and Spanish flag ( Lantana camara), L. lilacina and L. trifolia are sometimes planted for this purpose, or in butterfly gardening. Butterflies which are attracted to lantana flowers are most notably Papilioninae (swallowtail and birdwing butterflies). Hesperiidae (skippers) and certain Nymphalidae (namely Danainae and Heliconiinae), as well as some Pieridae (e.g. cloudless sulphur, Phoebis sennae), Lycaenidae (e.g. the aforementioned Strymon bazochii), and Nymphalidae (e.g. Greta oto) also like to visit the plants' flowers. Consequently, as total eradication of Lantana seems often impossible, it may in many cases be better to simply remove plants with immature (green) fruit to prevent them from spreading.
Some such as the black-throated weaver ( Ploceus benghalensis) and the streaked weaver ( P. manyar) highly value Lantana flowers for decorating their nests. An ability to procure spectacular and innovative decorations appears to be desired by females, and consequently is an indicator of the males' fitness.
In Australia it has been found that removing Lantana from urban greenspaces can have negative impacts on bird diversity locally, as it provides refuge for species like the Superb fairywren ( Malurus cyaneus) and silvereye ( Zosterops lateralis) in the absence of native plant equivalents. There seems to be a density threshold in which too much Lantana (thus homogeneity in vegetation cover) can lead to a decrease in bird species richness or abundance.
Ceratobasidium cornigerum is a Basidiomycota which parasitizes Lantana among other plants. The sweet potato whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci) is a common greenhouse pest and is often distributed with infested lantanas.
Lantana species, especially L. camara, contain Terpenoid that cause hepatotoxicity and photosensitivity when ingested by grazing animals such as Domestic sheep, , Bovinae, and . This has led to widespread livestock loss in the United States, South Africa, India, Mexico, and Australia.
Although lantanas are generally hardy and, being somewhat Toxicity, usually rejected by , they may still become infested with pests.
The edibility of Lantana berries is contested. Some experts claim Lantana berries are edible when ripeCoppens d'Eeckenbrugge, Geo & Libreros Ferla, Dimary (2000) Fruits from America - An ethnobotanical inventory: Lantana. Retrieved 17 November 2007.Herzog, F.; Gautier-Béguin, D. & Müller, K. (1996): Uncultivated plants for human nutrition in Côte d'Ivoire . In: Food and Agriculture Organization: Domestication and commercialization of non-timber forest products in agroforestry systems.Texas A&M Research and Extension Center (2000): Native Plants of South Texas - Velvet Lantana . Retrieved 1 February 2014. though like many other kinds of fruit, they are mildly if eaten while still green. Other experts claim that experimental research indicates that both unripe and ripe Lantana berries are potentially lethal, despite the claims by others that ripe berries are not poisonous.Tull, Delena "Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest: A Practical Guide" University of Texas Press (1999)
Extracts of Lantana camara may be used for protection of cabbage against the aphid Lipaphis erysimi.
Tribal people of the MM Hills in southern Karnataka, India, produce roughly 50 different types of furniture from lantana. It is considered a "near match" to the more highly-priced cane and bamboo, while being resistant to sun, rain, and termite damage.
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