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Lantana camara
Also called Common Lantana, Wild Sage, Black Sage, Cherry Pie, Largeleaf Lantana, Sage, Scrubby Cup
Lantana camara is a spreading, erect shrub from the tropical Americas, grown for its dense clusters of multicoloured flowers. It is a notorious invasive weed in many warm regions, so it is best grown in a contained garden space and never spread into the wild.
Lantana camara (common lantana) is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family (Verbenaceae), native to the tropics of the Americas. It is a very adaptable species, which can inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems; once it has been introduced into a habitat it spreads rapidly; between 45ºN and 45ºS and less than 1,400 metres (4,600 feet) in altitude.
It has spread from its native range to around 50 countries, where it has become an invasive species. It first spread out of the Americas when it was brought to Europe by Dutch explorers and cultivated widely, soon spreading further into Asia and Oceania where it has established itself as a notorious weed, and in Goa Former Estado da Índia Portuguesa it was introduced by the Portuguese.
Lantana camara is known to be toxic to livestock, such as cattle, sheep, horses, dogs and goats. The active substances causing toxicity in grazing animals are pentacyclic triterpenoids called lantadenes, which result in liver disease and photosensitivity. L. camara also excretes allelopathic chemicals, which reduce the growth of surrounding plants by inhibiting germination and root elongation.
The toxicity of L. camara to humans is undetermined, although studies indicate that ingesting berries can be toxic to humans. Ingestion of the flowers, fruits, and leaves may cause vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, and liver failure in people, while the leaves may cause contact dermatitis. A field guide by the US Department of the Army says that eating the plant can even be fatal. Contrarily, a 2010 study of poisoning cases in California reported that eating unripe or ripe berries did not have significant toxic effects in children under age 16.
The native range of Lantana camara is Central and South America; however, it has become naturalised in around 60 tropical and sub-tropical countries worldwide. It is found frequently in east and southern Africa, where it occurs at altitudes below 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and often invades previously disturbed areas such as logged forests and areas cleared for agriculture.
Lantana camara stalks have been used in the construction of furniture, such as chairs and tables.
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lantana camara by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
