common lantana

Lantana camara

Common lantana is a colorful shrub that grows bright flowers in many shades like yellow, orange, and pink. It attracts butterflies and bees, making gardens lively and beautiful!

Habitat: Urban areas

Appearance

The common lantana is a sprawling shrub with rough, textured leaves. Its distinctive flowers grow in dense, round clusters, often displaying a mix of vibrant colors like red, orange, yellow, and pink within a single cluster, sometimes changing hue as they mature.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderLamialesFamilyVerbenaceaeGenusLantana

Photo: AlvesgasparCC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsView original ↗

common lantana

Interesting facts

Did you know one lantana plant can produce thousands of seeds a year?

In some countries, it's called "wild sage" or "shrub verbena."

Its leaves smell strongly of citrus or spice when you crush them!

Lantana has been found growing on volcanic lava flows!

Special abilities

Common lantana has flowers that can shift color, signaling to pollinators when nectar rewards are highest.

Common lantana can form dense, thorny thickets that provide shelter but also outcompete native plants.

Common lantana can tolerate dry conditions and bounce back quickly, helping it survive harsh environments.

Common lantana produces abundant berries eaten by birds, which helps spread its seeds far and wide.

Measurements & details

Height: 60-180 cm
Spread: 90-240 cm
Flower Size: 2.5-6 cm
Bloom Season: Year-round
Edible: No
Toxicity: Moderate
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

Pollinates

European honey bee

Apis mellifera

Visits flowers for nectar.

Pollinates

Monarch butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Drinks nectar from the colorful blooms.

Eats

Red-whiskered bulbul

Pycnonotus jocosus

Consumes ripe berries, dispersing seeds.

Eats

Common blackbird

Turdus merula

Feeds on ripe fruit, aids seed dispersal.

Traits

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Shrub

A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground.

Summer Blooming

Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.

Evergreen

Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.

Fragrant Flower

Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Urban Friendly

This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.

Also known as

No aliases listed yet.

Collections

Plants

Safety

Danger

2/5 · Low

Be careful not to eat any part of the lantana plant, as it can make you feel sick.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify common lantana?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

How tall is common lantana?

60-180 cm

How wide does common lantana spread?

90-240 cm

How big are the flowers on common lantana?

2.5-6 cm

When does common lantana bloom?

Year-round

Is common lantana edible?

Is common lantana toxic?

Moderate

What is common lantana's lifecycle?