Lantana camara
L.Erect to scandent shrub to 3 m high; branches ascending, angled, with or without prickles, younger branches sparsely to moderately strigose, setose or pilose. Leaves ovate to broadly-ovate, (2–)5–10 cm long, 2–6 cm wide, moderately rugose, margins crenate-serrate with 15–40 teeth per side, adaxial surface dull green, sparsely to moderately antrorsely strigose or strigose-setose, abaxial surface slightly lighter or duller green, antrorsely strigose-scabrous, with the hairs scattered to moderately dense on veins, sometimes also with scattered short erect filiform hairs on veins, apex acuminate, base rounded, truncate or cordate, shortly and narrowly cuneate onto petiole at very base; petiole 5–10 mm long. Inflorescences hemispheric, 2–3 cm diam.; peduncles 2–10 cm long. Bracts narrowly spathulate or subulate to narrowly lanceolate, mostly 3–8 mm long, 0.8–1.5(–2) mm wide. Calyx membranous, c. 3mm long; corolla yellow, orange-red, white, or pink to deep reddish-purple, often mixed with orange and crimson, throat often yellow, 6–10 mm diam., tube 7–12 mm long. Drupe c. 5 mm diam., blue-black. Flowers throughout the year.
VVP, GipP, NIS, EGL.
In Victoria, known from a single wild collection on a railway reserve near Frankston, but perhaps not persisting there. Common in gardens around the state.
Cultivated worldwide for its colourful floral displays and a favoured source of nectar for many butterflies. Often escaping in tropical and subtropical areas, including Australia, where it has become an aggressive weed.
The taxonomy of the Lantana camara s.l. group presented here is a conservative approach pending a resolution of the group in Australia (following Munir 1996, but no vars. recognised). However R.W.Sanders (see APNI), indicates that the situation is likely to be far more complex, and that a number of taxa are involved. It is unclear whether the name Lantana ×strigocamara applies to the Frankston collection. Sanders (2007), elucidates the taxonomy and nomenclature of part of the complex but does not explicitly state which taxa are naturalised in Australia.
Munir, A.A. (1996). A taxonomic review of Lantana camara L. and L. montevidensis (Spreng.) Briq. (Verbenaceae) in Australia. *Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens * 17: 1–27.
Sanders, R.W. (2006). Taxonomy of Lantana sect. Lantana (Verbenaceae): I. correct application of Lantana camara and associated names. Sida 22(1): 381–421.
