Lantana
- "Wild lantanas" are plants of the unrelated genus Abronia, usually called "sand-verbenas".
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 Wild-type Spanish Flag Lantana camara | ||||||||||||
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| About 150, see text |
Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants, native to tropical regions of the Americas, Africa and existing as an imported plant in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes both herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5-2 m tall. Their common names are shrub verbenas or lantanas.
Lantana's aromatic flower clusters (called umbels) are a mix of red, orange, yellow, or blue and white florets. Other colors exist as new varieties are being selected. The flowers typically change color as they mature, resulting in inflorescences that are two- or three-colored.
Ecology
Some species are invasive, and are considered to be noxious weeds, such as in South Asia, Southern Africa and Australia. In the United States, lantanas are naturalized in the southeast, especially coastal regions of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and the Gulf Coast where it is often known as "ham and eggs".Template:Fact
The spread of lantana is aided by the characteristic of their leaves, which are somewhat poisonous to most animals, while their fruit is a delicacy for many birds which distribute the seeds. Birds like the Yellow-fronted White-eye of Vanuatu, the Superb Fairy-wren in Australia, or the Mauritius Bulbul in the Mascarenes thus unwittingly contribute to the degradation of their home ecosystem.Template:Fact
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 polyphagous 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 moths 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 caterpillars 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 mammals that eat Lantana leaves without apparent ill effect.
As a positive aspect, lantanas are useful as honey plants, and Spanish Flag (L. 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 brush-footed butterflies (namely Danainae and Heliconiinae), as well as some Pieridae (e.g. Cloudless Sulphur, Phoebis sennae) and Lycaenidae (e.g. the aforementioned Lantana Scrub-hairstreak), 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 weaverbirds, e.g. 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.
Ceratobasidium cornigerum is a higher fungus which parasitizes Lantana among other plants. The Sweet Potato Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a common greenhouse pest and is often distributed with infested lantanas.
Use by humans
Lantana species are widely cultivated for their flowers in tropical and subtropical environments and (as an annual plant) in temperate climates.
Most of the plants sold as lantana are either Spanish Flag (L. camara), Trailing Lantana (L. montevidensis, or hybrids between the two. L. camara is the most common species in cultivation. Numerous cultivars of this species exist, including 'Irene', 'Christine' and 'Dallas Red' (all tall-growing cultivars) and several recently introduced shorter ones. The shorter cultivars may flower more prolifically than the taller ones. L. montevidensis gives blue (or white) flowers all year round. Its foliage is dark green and has a distinct odor.
Though lantanas are generally hardy and, being somewhat toxic, usually rejected by herbivores, they may still become infested with pests, though pest control insecticidal soaps are harmful to these plants.
Lantana berries are edible when ripe[1] though like many fruit are mildly poisonous if eaten while still green. Though it is strongly suspected that all latana leaves are toxic if eaten, L. rugosa is allegedly used as a leaf vegetableTemplate:Fact.
Though the stems even of larger lantanas are thin, the wood is very tough and durable and thus useful for various handicrafts such as wickerwork. The Soliga of Karnataka (India) are nowadays utilizing Lantana in their wickercraft. The plant is an invasive weed there, and has displaced much of the bamboo which formerly was the preferred material for Soliga artisans. By selectively harvesting lantanas for their craft, they are again able to make a living, as well as assisting the recovery of the native ecosystem and reducing the risk of forest fires.[2]
Species
- Lantana camara (syn. L. aculeata, L. armata) – Spanish Flag, bahô-bahô; utot-utot; koronitas; kantutay (Philippines)
- Lantana involucrata
- Lantana involucrata var. socorrensis
- Lantana lilacina Desf.
- Lantana microphylla L.
- Lantana montevidensis – Trailing Lantana
- Lantana pastazensis
- Lantana rugosa
- Lantana rugulosa
- Lantana tiliifolia
- Lantana trifolia L.
- Lantana urticoides – Texas Lantana
- Lantana velutina Mart. & Gal. – Velvet Lantana
Gallery
Ripe (dark) and unripe (green) lantana berries
Lantana involucrata with fruit
Footnotes
References
- Template:Aut (2000) Fruits from America - An ethnobotanical inventory: Lantana. Retrieved 2007-NOV-17.
- Template:Aut (1996): Uncultivated plants for human nutrition in Côte d'Ivoire. In: Template:Aut: Domestication and commercialization of non-timber forest products in agroforestry systems. PDF fulltext
- Template:Aut (2007): Lantana: A friendly weed. Merinews, 2007-APR-16.
- Template:Aut (2000): Native Plants of South Texas - Velvet Lantana. Retrieved 2007-NOV-17.
