Common name: Lantana
Lantana camara L. APNI* Synonyms: Lantana tiliifolia Cham. APNI*
Description: Shrub up to c. 3 m high, often scandent and forming dense thickets; branches long and weak, with short recurved prickles, ± hairy, often glandular on young parts.
Leaves with lamina ovate, usually 2.5–8 cm long and 15–45 mm wide, apex ± acute to obtuse, base ± rounded, margins toothed, upper surface wrinkled and strigose, lower surface ± pubescent; petiole 5–20 mm long.
Flower heads, 2–3 cm diam.; peduncle 2–8 cm long; bracts lanceolate, 4–7 mm long. Corolla 10–14 mm long, with white, yellow, orange, red or pink colours in various combinations.
Drupe 4–6 mm diam., black.
Flowering: most of year.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread weed, especially near habitation, and in sclerophyll forest and disturbed rainforest; coastal districts north from the Bega area. Native of trop. S Amer.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld *N.T.
Introduced as a hedge plant; numerous cultivars are grown as garden plants; some forms are reported toxic to stock if eaten. A declared noxious weed in certain shires.
Text by B. J. Conn
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
|
