# 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! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** Urban areas ![common lantana](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/LantanaFlowerLeaves.jpg&width=800) Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LantanaFlowerLeaves.jpg) ## 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Lamiales - **Family:** Verbenaceae - **Genus:** 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 - **Color-Changing Blooms:** Common lantana has flowers that can shift color, signaling to pollinators when nectar rewards are highest. - **Tough Thicket Creator:** Common lantana can form dense, thorny thickets that provide shelter but also outcompete native plants. - **Drought Dodger:** Common lantana can tolerate dry conditions and bounce back quickly, helping it survive harsh environments. - **Berry Broadcaster:** 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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Drinks nectar from the colorful blooms. - **Eats:** [Red-whiskered bulbul](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-whiskered-bulbul) (*Pycnonotus jocosus*) — Consumes ripe berries, dispersing seeds. - **Eats:** [Common blackbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-blackbird) (*Turdus merula*) — Feeds on ripe fruit, aids seed dispersal. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/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? No ### Is common lantana toxic? Moderate ### What is common lantana's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Puna-Ka'u Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/puna-kau-historic-district) — Hawaii, US · Historic District - [Maui Ocean Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/maui-ocean-center) — Hawaii, US · Zoo - [Maui Ocean Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/maui-ocean-center-hawaii) — Hawaii, US · Aquarium [View all places to see common lantana](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/common-lantana) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Common Lantana: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-lantana)