Lantana camara L.

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology

Alt. 0 - 2800 m.

Morphology General Habit

Herb, shrub or creeper.

Conservation

Least concern.

Distribution

Native from Colombia.

Vernacular

Mabizou, bwa wa tau.

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol 8, Pt 7. Avicenniaceae, R. Fernandes. Nesogenaceae, M.A. Diniz. Verbenaceae, R. Fernandes. Lamiaceae, R. Fernandes. 2005.

Type

Type a cultivated specimen, Linnaean Herbarium no. 783/4 (LINN, lectotype).

Morphology General

Mostly a spreading shrub 0.35–5 m tall, forming dense thickets, or scandent to c. 10 m (or a tree to 8 m tall), strongly aromatic

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Drupes 3–6 mm in diameter, purple-black to black on ripening. Drupes 3–6 mm in diameter, purple-black to black on ripening.

Ecology

In dense thickets by roadsides, in forest clearings, pine plantations and old cultivations, occasional in deciduous woodlands and grassland; 0–2000 m.

Note

In the Flora Zambesiaca area a range of forms based on corolla colour may be recognized, and the following corolla colour variations occur: yellow and orange (in the same head), yellow-orange fading to red, yellow and red, orange and pink, yellow in the outer whorls and pink in the inner, white suffused with pale or mauve-pink towards edges and with an orange-yellow throat, all bright orange, all yellow, all pink with yellow throat, all mauve, all white.

Distribution

District code: BOT N, BOT SE, BOT N, BOT W, BOT C, BOT S, ZIM N, ZIM W, ZIM C, ZIM E, MAL N, MAL C, MAL S, MOZ Z, MOZ MS, MOZ GI, MOZ M. In some parts it forms widespread uncontrollable thickets, and for this reason has been declared a noxious weed in Zambia and Zimbabwe.  Certain cultivars are sterile and innocuous. Native of tropical and subtropical America, and introduced in the tropics where it is cultivated as a garden ornamental and hedge plant.  It is now naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres. Botswana Zambia Zimbabwe Malawi Mozambique

Morphology General Habit

Mostly a spreading shrub 0.35–5 m tall, forming dense thickets, or scandent to c. 10 m (or a tree to 8 m tall), strongly aromatic.

Morphology Stem

Stem and branches 4-angled, unarmed to slightly or copiously covered with recurved prickles, ± scabridulous and sparsely to densely hispid or strigose, sometimes with short gland-tipped hairs intermixed on peduncles and branchlets, ± densely sessile glandular towards the end of peduncles and branches. Stem and branches 4-angled, unarmed to slightly or copiously covered with recurved prickles, ± scabridulous and sparsely to densely hispid or strigose, sometimes with short gland-tipped hairs intermixed on peduncles and branchlets, ± densely sessile glandular towards the end of peduncles and branches

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, petiolate; (3)4–11 × (2)2.8–6(7) cm, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, acute or ± acuminate at the apex, rounded to broadly or narrowly cuneate at the base or sometimes subcordate, coarsely to closely crenate or crenulate on the margins, scabrid with coarse tubercle-based hairs on the upper surface ± pubescent or glabrescent beneath but scabrid on the raised venation, rugulose with impressed venation above, raised reticulate beneath; petiole 0.7–2 cm long, slender. Leaves opposite, petiolate; (3)4–11 × (2)2.8–6(7) cm, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, acute or ± acuminate at the apex, rounded to broadly or narrowly cuneate at the base or sometimes subcordate, coarsely to closely crenate or crenulate on the margins, scabrid with coarse tubercle-based hairs on the upper surface ± pubescent or glabrescent beneath but scabrid on the raised venation, rugulose with impressed venation above, raised reticulate beneath; petiole 0.7–2 cm long, slender

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles

Peduncles axillary, erect or ascending, 2–10 cm long at anthesis, becoming rigid, thickening toward the apex, hardly elongating in fruit, hispid to strigose and with small sessile glands. Peduncles axillary, erect or ascending, 2–10 cm long at anthesis, becoming rigid, thickening toward the apex, hardly elongating in fruit, hispid to strigose and with small sessile glands

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in ± flat corymbiform heads, 2–5 cm in diameter with axis 6–12 mm long, hardly elongating in fruit; bracts 4–13 × 1–1.5 mm, linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate, attenuate and acute or subobtuse at apex, shortly strigose. Flowers in ± flat corymbiform heads, 2–5 cm in diameter with axis 6–12 mm long, hardly elongating in fruit; bracts 4–13 × 1–1.5 mm, linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate, attenuate and acute or subobtuse at apex, shortly strigose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx c. 3 mm long, very thin. Calyx c. 3 mm long, very thin

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla variously coloured, orange, red, pink, mauve, pure yellow or white, often with a yellow or orange centre, young flowers pale changing to a deeper or a different colour with age, sometimes the inner flowers a different colour from the outer; tube 10–12 mm long, narrow in the lower half, widening slightly above, slightly curved, puberulous outside; limb 6–9 mm in diameter, lobes up to 5 mm wide and oblong to rounded. Corolla variously coloured, orange, red, pink, mauve, pure yellow or white, often with a yellow or orange centre, young flowers pale changing to a deeper or a different colour with age, sometimes the inner flowers a different colour from the outer; tube 10–12 mm long, narrow in the lower half, widening slightly above, slightly curved, puberulous outside; limb 6–9 mm in diameter, lobes up to 5 mm wide and oblong to rounded

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2800 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba, arbusto, trepadora

Conservation

Preocupación Menor

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Shrub, up to 2 m or more tall, mostly ± armed with recurved prickles

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite; blades ovate to ovate-oblong, 2–12 x 2–7 cm, acute at the apex, rounded to cuneate at the base, closely crenate-serrate, scabrid, with impressed venation above; petiole 7–20 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Flowers in axillary ± flat heads 2–3(–5) cm in diam., the axis 0.5–1 cm long; peduncle 1.5–10 cm long; bracts linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 4–8(–13) x 1–1.5 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx c. 3 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla red, purple, pink, orange, yellow or white; tube 8–13 mm long, densely puberulous outside; limb 4–9 mm wide

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Drupes purple or black, 3–5(–7) mm in diam.

Distribution

N1; S2 probably originally from the West Indies, now widespread in all tropical and subtropical parts of the world.

Ecology

Altitude range 50–1000 m.

Vernacular

Bwa wa tau, Carraquillo, Cinco negritos, Gurupacha, Mabizou, Mille fleurs, Red sage, Sanguinaria, Siete negritos, Venturosa cariaquita

Verbenaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1992

Morphology General Habit

Mostly a spreading, rather unpleasantly aromatic shrub 0.35–5 m. tall but can be scandent to 12 m. or even in cultivation over a long period become a tree to 8 m. with a bole 10–12 cm. diameter; stems ± square, almost completely unarmed to slightly or copiously and viciously covered with recurved prickles.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, ovate to ovate-oblong, 2–12 cm. long, 2–7 cm. wide, mostly fairly small, acute at apex, rounded to broadly or narrowly cuneate or rarely subcordate at base, scabrid with coarse tubercule-based hairs and rugose with impressed venation above, ± pubescent or glabrescent beneath but scabrid on raised venation, closely crenate-serrate; petioles 0.7–2 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in axillary ± flat heads 2–3(–5) cm. diameter, the axis 0.5–1 cm. long; peduncles 1.5–10 cm. long; bracts linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 4–8(–13) mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx very thin, ± 3 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla very variously coloured, red, purple, pink with yellow centre, salmon, orange, pure yellow, white, etc., sometimes the inner flowers a different colour from the outer, e.g. yellow and red; tube 0.8–1.3 cm. long, densely puberulous outside; limb 4–9 mm. wide, the lobes oblong to rounded, up to 5 mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Drupes fleshy, purple or black, 3–5(–7) mm. diameter (dry); pyrene essentially ovoid, 6 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide, laterally somewhat like the head of a bird with a narrower and a wider portion, the latter more rugose and crenate where the two join.

Habitat

Forming dense thickets, by roadsides, in forest clearings, old cultivations, etc.; 0–2040 m.

Distribution

K3 K4 K5 K7 T1 T2 T3 T6 T7 U1 U4 Z probably originally native of the W. Indies, now naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres