PlantFiles: Lantana
Lantana camara

A tender perennial treated as an annual in colder parts of the country. A favorite because of its tough nature (I planted three around my mailbox, next to hot asphalt and concrete, where they positively thrived.

I have planted Lantana for the past couple of years and have found out that the yellow variety seems to do better in my yard. I have never heard of anyone growing the plant from seed, but my Grandmother has multiplied hers by cuttings. I had a neighbor who left hers overwinter and it came back but did not bloom as well as the year before. We are in Zone 8.

A good pot plant for the summer months in the UK. Excellent grown as a standard. I also grow in the greenhouse as a nectar plant for butterflies. There seem to be at least 7 colour forms, from pure white through yellow, pink, orange and red. Most flowers change colour as they age. Easy to propagate from semi ripe cuttings. Self seed readily in the greenhouse, but don't flower until the following year. Fine spines on the leaves and stems can pierce the skin and cause irritation.

This plant is native to South America. It is a wonderful bloomer and brightens up sunny areas. Interestingly, though, it is considered a weed in parts of Australia.

Just to add; they can be cut back drastically if they become too "weedy", at which time you can give it interesting shapes. Leaves have a spicy smell. Mockingbirds love the berries and butterflies love the blooms. Good to plant where nothing else will grow. They can tolerate sandy soil and little water.

This is a heat-resistant, drought resistant, bug resistant plant that blooms all summer in our yard. I cut it completely back to the ground in the fall after frost. It comes back strong and beautiful. I have no trouble moving parts of it. I also dig up new plants that have seeded in the grass, and all have survived.

There are two types of Lantana sold here in northern California (U.S.): shrubby types and trailing types, in a variety of colors. The shrubs (actually sub-shrubs, they don't get much over 3 feet tall) are hardy and bushy. The trailers are good for groundcover (although they'll mound pretty high as the plants intertwine) or planters.

Interesting how others comment on fragrance -- my friends and I find the smell rather objectionable, a mixture of mint and camphor with a touch of onion, is how I've described it. They are drought-resistant, deer-resistant, bug-proof, and vigorous.

I love lantana. It is very hardy and makes an elegant showing in beds across my front yard. The past three summers they have been beautiful until frost. This year, however, many of the bushes stopped blooming in September and leaves turned whitish and look diseased. I am searching for information on how to prevent that. My red lantana is still fine; it is the yellow spreading variety that I am concerned about.

They are easy to grow, come in lots of varieties, and butterflies seem to be especially attracted by their flowers.

In the 1980s, we planted some yellow, lavender, and white Lantana that we purchased from a nursery. The first to die was the white, the next was the purple, and finally the yellows died. Very frustrated, I decided to look for the old wild kind, like my Grandmother use to grow.

One day in the 1990's, my son and I were downtown where a parking lot used land from an old homestead. We noticed that on the bayou side, along with weeds and scrub trees, there was an old wild Lantana in bloom. My son was able to reach a couple of small pieces with roots.

We now each have an old fashion Lantana growing in our yards, just like my Grandma and other country folks use to have. The old wild variety have flowers with multiple colors. The same colors that can be found when staring into a plate of ham and eggs. That is the only name I heard the old country people call this bush, when I was a little girl ... "Ham & Eggs"!

The flowers have always fascinated me, with shades of pinks, lavenders, yellows, oranges, all on one flower. To me, it smells herbal, like something you might use to flavor a stew. I am so happy with my wild antique Lantana bush. I have it planted in the mailbox garden.

In the Fall when the branches turn brown, we cut it down to the ground. In the Spring it grows back about four feet tall and just as wide. It blooms till late Summer. The birds and butterflies both love it. My husband has to trim it slightly during it's growing season, just to keep it from getting too leggy and wild-looking.

Look around the grounds of old homesteads and you may be able to find an old wild Lantana. Nothing seems to bother them down here in South Louisiana (U.S.)

This plant is listed as a Category I Invasive Exotic plant in all areas of Florida. It is a weed that does very well on its own, and is loved by butterflies.

The flowers are beautiful, but the foliage has an unpleasantly strong odor.

San Antonio, TX
Love the plant and like its odor. PLEASE NOTE: ALL PARTS of this plant are POISONOUS if eaten and can be FATAL. This plant causes dermatitis in some individuals (For example:Me!). Be sure to wash your hands (arms and/or other body parts if applicable) after handling.

Lantana camara is a pretty invasive weed in central Florida (U.S.), and even if grown in a garden situation, needs a lot of pruning to keep it from becoming leggy and very widely spreading.

I have to pull seedlings of it out of my garden beds, even though I don't grow the plant in my garden! I would suggest growing the much better behaved native Lantana depressa, or the non-native but easily controlled Lantana montevidensis instead.

I would say this plant is a naturalized wildflower rather than an invasive weed due to its colorful flowers that attract butterflies. Here in Northcentral Florida, zone 8b, it is not all over the place--you just see it occasionally along the roadside--more often out by a mailbox and along private driveways where it has probably been deliberately planted. And when I was growing up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast it was naturalized along the medians in almost pure sand by the seawall--often it was the only plant growing there!

In St. Petersburg, Florida, zone 9b, I grew the solid lavender type, probably L. montevidensis, but it didn't do as well as the L. camara, the multicolored common lantana of my childhood. In fact it died out after only a few years--I never understood why, as L. montevidensis is supposedly hardier than L. camara.

The Southern Living Garden Book lists 17 named varieties or hybrids of L. camara, so there should be a lantana color to please anyone. I'm planning on growing several colors out by my gates on a dirt road, as that is my sunniest spot here in zone 8b.

November 12, 2003: Found some huge plants--about four feet tall and in full bloom--growing in a long patch behind a commercial building yesterday. They are lovely pastel colors--creamy yellow, lavender and a pale pink--so I took some cuttings, removed the flowers and deleafed all but the top few small leaves, and stuck the cuttings into a pot filled with only my sandy soil. I watered the pot heavily, and stuck the pot into my very damp, improvised greenhouse where I am overwintering some tender plants in pots.

This is the first time I have tried cuttings from this plant--I collected some of the bright green seed too, but it may not be ripe enough. I may be too late in the season, but I couldn't resist the pretty colors and vigorous growth. The flower colors really stood out against the dark green, crinkled leaves. And I didn't find the smell that objectionable--spicy is a good word for it.

I have used both L. camara and L. montevidensis for separate purposes. Both are very invasive and wild here in this part of Florida.

I have the white L. montevidensis to hide the ugly trunk of a big tree, while the multi-colored L. camara has been used in various spots throughout the yard. Both thrive in total neglect, in flood or in drought, in full sun or in partial shade, with or without fertilizer.

The reward of having this weed in your property is that you get to see butterflies all day long.

Lantana grows very well here in Bonneau, South Carolina (U.S.) - likes full sun!

Fabulous low-maintenence bloomer for me - blooms year round if kept deadheaded. Difficult to start from seed (cuttings are better!) but a great candidate for winter sowing if you dare ...

Both the orange and the purple variety grow wild in North East Florida. I mow hundreds of them every year as they propigate from seed easily. I plant them along my fence in alternating intervals...purple, orange, purple, orange, etc. My daughter loves the way the blooms change from purple with yellow or red with orange. The berrys look like blackberries so warn small children NOT to eat them.

I planted 2 of these last year. They grew rapidly and were my favorite plants in the garden. However, this year while all of my other plants are full of foliage these 2 lantanas are just sticks. It is now late April and I thought I would have foliage beginning back by now. I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Does anyone know if these are just late bloomers?

I love this plant! It's up against the barn and gets as tall as 7', it was here when we purchased. Oh, when covered with butterflies it is absolutely breathtaking :)

I really don't understand why people say the smell of the lantana is nice. Lots of lantana plants grow here in Singapore and many people, including myself, think that the smell is horrible. In fact, both the Malay and Chinese names for lantana mean 'chicken droppings flower' because of its smell. I think that it is a nice, colourful plant, but I still find the smell very horrible.

In Florida and other Southern States this is a noxious weed and EXTREMELY POISONOUS TO LIVESTOCK AND HUMANS. It spreads by the birds eating the berries and everywhere they leave droppings more of these come up. They are IMPOSSIBLE TO KILL - I have tried everything from sprays to digging them up. I have lost livestock to this plant and I attack it aggressively everytime I see just one small plant starting in my pasture. PLEASE GROW THESE WITH CAUTION.

Here is more info on the poisionous aspect of these plants:

From the West VA State University web site:

"TOXICITY

This ornamental shrub contains lantanin, a triterpenoid, and other compounds irritating to the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. All parts of the plant are quite toxic and poisoning may occur year-round, but is most common in summer and fall. Many poisoning cases occur when clippings are thrown into the pasture.

Sheep, cattle, horses, and humans are sensitive to the effects of the plant. Children have been poisoned by eating the berries.

SYMPTOMS

Cattle are most often affected. There are two forms of toxicity: acute and chronic. The acute form usually occurs within 24 hours after eating the plants with the animal exhibiting gastroenteritis with bloody, watery feces. Severe weakness and paralysis of the limbs are followed by death in three to four days. The chronic form is characterized by jaundiced mucous membranes, photosensitization, ulcerations of the mucous membranes of the nose and oral cavity. The skin may peel, leaving raw areas that are vulnerable to blowfly strike and bacterial infection. Severe keratitis may result in temporary or permanent blindness. "

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GA WEB SITE:

" Description: Lantana is a common ornamental plant. The plant has spreading stems and opposite leaves. The flowers form clusters that are flat-topped and range in color from red-orange to yellow. Lantana poses several problems to the farmer in that ingestion of the plant causes liver damage in animals, the plant inhibits the growth of other plants surrounding it (this includes grasses or other animal fodder), and this plant infests potential pastures causing a decrease in fodder for the animals.
Toxic Part: The entire plant is toxic.
Toxin: The toxic compounds are currently disputed but are believed to be lantadenes, a group of triterpenes.
Symptoms: This plant has demonstrated toxicity when ingested by cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goats. Poisoning occurs after ingestion of a significant amount of foliage (3mg foliage/kg body weight) at one time. The toxicity is not cumulative and not all species of Lantana are toxic. Symptoms of toxicity in animals include photosensitive dermatitis followed by necrosis of large areas of the skin, jaundice and yellowing of the mucous membranes, and loss of appetite with a decrease in ruminal motility. This decrease in ruminal motility may be a reaction to damage to the liver by the toxic constituents of the plant. L. camara poses several problems to the rancher in that ingestion of the plant causes hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity), the plant inhibits growth of nearby grasses and other potential fodder, and this plant infests potential pastures causing a decrease in fodder for the animals. In severe cases death may occur within two days or one to three weeks post-poisoning.
Treatment: Activated charcoal is a successful treatment for Lantana toxicity in animals. "

Gotta' add another positive rating to this plant. In Texas, there are so few plants that thrive in high summer that this one is worth growing, even with any danger ~ especially if you plan to grow it inside a fenced area where livestock can't go.

I live in Las Vegas, NV

I wanted to inform you that we have lost our baby 2-year old border collie "Ellee" to this plant common to most backyards called "Lantana" also known as Lantana Camara.

On June 22, 2004, my son caught Ellee grazing on the plant and pulled her away. The next day she had flu-like symptoms: nausea (her tummy hurt as she wanted me to continually rub it), diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargic, dehydrated and heavy panting. When we took her to the vet, she had already began hemorrhaging internally and had renal failure. She went downhill in a matter of hours. We put her to rest June 24, 2004.

We had no idea that this plant was poisonous or we would have never planted it. We were never informed at the nursery when we made our purchase of the toxic plant that killed our pet.

Please inform others as we are about this plant to prevent further harm.

I am planning on adding this plant to my garden shortly. My grandparents had some in their garden & my neighbor has some. My dog likes to eat the plant clear down to the ground if I let him . . . . so I was wondering if anyone knew of any medicial properties this plant has?

I live in Nj. First time planting Lantana. Doing very well through July so far. Happy to find out it is perennial.

I grew Lantana from seeds this year. It's a very lovely plant and virtually pest free for me. It has flowered all summer and is still flowering. The flowers smell very good. The seed and foliage have different smell. Which isn't a good smell.. But I planted it for show..Overall it's a very nice plant.

I have two Lantanas I have groomed into trees. One must be 10 years old the other 8 or 9. They are potted due to my Chicago climate and must come in in the winter. I'll try to get a digital photo to post but meantime try it, they make a real attention getter when they go into bloom. They are now between 6 and 8 feet tall but I groom back in the fall each year. Pot size becomes a problem.

It is pretty and prolific but I have severe allergies to this plant and cannot touch it. Just pruning turned into a bout of painful rashes when the vines would poke through my long sleeved shirt. The odour is also very unpleasant to me.

Hummingbirds are very attracted to this plant. I love its beautiful red, orange and yellow flowers, and it does best in hot, dry weather. Also, I love the scent. It smells like lemons to me. Nice in hanging baskets and planters on the patio.

It seems that people either love or hate this plant. As for me, I love it and highly recommend it if you want an easy plant that can take the heat and give you uninterrupted blooms all spring summer and fall.

I must agree, Lantana camara is a pretty invasive weed here in Central Florida.

I love this plant. My lantana bush (radiation) is now almost 6' tall and 8' wide. Its brilliant display of orange, red, and yellow flowers is simply unmatched by any other flowering plant. I love the citrus scent that the leaves give off when crushed. The bush flowers most of the year. I've had the plant for about 2 1/2 years and it is a very fast grower. It loves the heat and requires very little maintenance. I trim most of the plant back once a year during winter and trim it occasionaly to promote more flowers. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are attracted to this plant. It is poisonous and can be intrusive if it is not cut back once in a while.

I find it funny that one mentioned either loving or hating this plant- when I was little it grew in my yard as a weed and I couldn't stand it. My dad called it "stink-flower". But since my butterfly gardening addiction has gotten the best of me : ) my views have changed. Now I love it and I have four kinds of lantana in my garden- including this one. It blooms well, grows really fast and I even like the smell. Go figure!

I love lantana because they're so easy. They don't mind the baking heat and full sun, but the ones on the northeast side of my house got really large this year (about 5ft wide), so they seemed to do even better when given afternoon shade. Lantana is an annual in my 7a garden so I don't have to worry about it being invasive or weedy. The winters kill them completely here. I don't think I would grow them otherwise, I can see how they might become too large.

I love these plants - they are so forgiving of dry, hot summer weather and just bloom their hearts out!! I am probably glad they are not winter hardy, because I am sure, based on the growth in my zone, that they could pose a problem if unchecked.

Here in Australia,climate approx. 9b,Lantana is a great survivor,flowering well most of the year yet in the wetter warmer tropics it is an absolute garden thug.Australians spend millions trying to eradicate it from natural vegetation areas and National Parks.

I love this native, looks great in my garden and takes our Texas heat like nothing else will...

I'm considering naming my home "Casa Lantana" because my 1/2 acre property was covered with Lantana camara when I bought my house three years ago, and they remain prevalent today. I respect their right to have a place in my garden since they were here first, so I transplant most of them (they pop up everywhere!) from the middle of the yard to the very back of the flowerbeds along the fences.

I've found them very responsive to espalier treatment and this tends to reduce their otherwise gangling, leggy habit of bushing out too much. I can whack them back viciously and they just keep on growing. They repay my attacks by giving me broken skin and itchy hives, as I am one of those very allergic to their leaves.

They are basically perennials in my climate (Zone 8b/9a). I have mostly the light lavender/cream colored variety, but also have a few of the orange flowered. As mentioned previously, the butterflies love them!

In our very sandy soil and due to the lantana root system consisting of mainly a tap root with a few lateral roots, I've never been able to transplant one without it coming up bare root. They go into complete transplant shock for about 2 weeks, usually losing all their leaves and looking like a dead twig, but then suddenly rebound with no attention or special care and leaf out completely on the existing branches.

I have more than an ample supply to share. If you want some, trades are welcome.

Jeremy

I planted this in my back yard not really knowing how it would grow. It thrived all summer and bloomed beatifully. I cut it back in fall and I do not see any new growth coming back as yet. I've been searching to find this plant as I would like to plant more. They are unique and extremely beatiful. I intend to purchase more colors this year.

This is my favorite of the spring and summer hanging basket "annuals" around here (Pittsburgh, PA zone 6a). It's astoundingly colorful and blooms until the frost kills it off.

Growing it in a hanging basket is also a good idea to keep the plant away from pets, since it is toxic, as others have commented.

I could see how it would be a problem plant if it was hardy enough to survive the winters, but here in the north, it's a just a lovely annual.

I love this flowering bush, It grows naturally all over my yard, Beautiful Flowers all Spring and Summer and Bright Colors of Orange and Pink. It can be a little tough to prune in the spring due to the little thorns and the smell is a bit strong from the leaves but it is worth it when you see those flowers.
I give this an A+ for a natural Florida plant.

Lantana are fast growing here on the gulf coast. I put in a bed of five plants about 3 years ago; we trim them to the mulch in winter. They come back each year strong and fast. I have trained some of mine to grow up a chainlink fence. Butterflies seem to love them.

I don't water mine particularly often, but they seem to do just fine.

I also took some cuttings and rooted them in a hanging basket. This basket has grown well even without full sun.

After 30 years, even a fleeting whiff of Lantana leaves unlocks some of my happiest childhood memories. I grew up in the Hollywood Hiils, where Lantana grows wild. I spent countless happy afternoons hiking there, the hot, dry, and clear California air perfumed with Lantana's intoxicating herby aroma. I used to break the leaves and devour their spicy scent. It's one smell that I would not want to live without.

I love this plant and I love the smell. I have no idea why anyone considers the smell "noxious" but they also must consider most herbs noxious as well as this plant has a definitive herb scent. The leaves and flowers have a citrus-sage smell. It is, after all, a member of the verbena family. I think it's so funny how those below zone 8 love it and those south of it (especially in Florida) find it to be a pest! It is not invasive north of zone 8 and is considered a perennial only from zone 8 and south. I think most people should heed the warnings about pets and this plant, though. It is poisonous. One person told me her dog eats the leaves, but from what is written on this page, I would discourage this. I surely could understand some sensitivity to this plant's leaves, as the oils in the leaves are very strong. I had a lovely large shrub variety which was blown down last October and it broke my heart. Luckily, this plant is easy to get on eBay and starting to become very popular at garden centers in my area and I have lots of plants and seeds. I have some wonderful varieties, even a beautiful sunny yellow variegated leaf variety, and wish I could get more. They are lovely in containers and hanging baskets. The purple variety smells a bit like lilacs. It's a happy plant and brings butterflies, bumble bees and sometimes hummingbirds to your garden. So don't be discourage by the naysayers who claim this plant "stinks" ... you're better off to listen to the birds, bees and butterflies instead! Mother Nature knows best!

I grow lantana Miss Huff which is marginally hardy in Zone 7. Since it is very vigorous, it will winter over here, but it may not show any new growth
until late April or May. Don't get impatient (as a friend did) and dig it up.
It will be fine. And it will make up for lost time, growing very fast in Spring and Summer. That said, it's a good idea to plant it in a sheltered spot and
mulch it. Pluses: Very easy to grow, very vigorous, very pretty flowers and foliage, one of the very best butterfly plants, insect and disease proof, an instant shrub. A 6 inch wide tiger swallowtail feeding on the delicately-colored flowers is a sight to see! Ours flourished with only 6 solid hours of sun. LOVE IT. One other plus: Lantana is very popular here.
I purchased mine at a discount store for $1.00 -- a real find!

There are so many other plants that are toxic yet grown for their beauty of foliage or flower....both indoor & outdoor varieties. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the plants one has is both practical (with the protection of unknowing human & animal in mind) and interesting. The fact that so many butterflies, moths and birds benefit from the Lantana...
as well as the beauty it provides...and its hardiness.....makes it a desirable plant in my books.

I picked my varieties for the wonderful color combos. Mine were waiting to be planted in a windowbox but I ran out of space so I just stuck them straight in the ground. Unfortunately, my DH hasn't been able to work in that bed since then! Now I know why he comes back from weeding with an itchy, uncomfortable rash! I sure wish they were hardy in my zone, but next time I'll stick with the container plan.

Love the lantana that I've been growing! Bloomed all summer and still going in Fall. I didn't know it came in pastel colors! I've grown the red/orange/yellow variety in my container garden even though I have a pastel garden. I've always liked it so much that I threw it in with the pastels anyway. I'm going to look for a pink/white one next year. The hummingbirds love the flowers. I grew up in Southern California where my neighbor had a HUGE bush that we called butterfly bush because the skippers (and bees) used to just cover the bush all summer. I now know that it was Lantana. I've never noticed any smell to this plant!

This plant is recognized as a medicinal plant in Puerto Rico. I had not heard of poisonous accidents with this plant. I also found a good description of the medicinal properties of this plant in the Philippines. Many of this uses there are the same as in Puerto Rico.

Remember that what could kill and animal not necessarily affect humans. For example chocolate could easily kill a dog in a few hours but is harmless to humans that are not allergic to it. (and I had seen very "wise" people sharing chocolate bars with his fellow canines friends)

Medicinal uses of this plant from:

[HYPERLINK@www.stuartxchange.org]

Constituents
Leaves: volatile oil, 0.2%.
Dried flowers: volatile oil, 0.07% - caryophyllene-like bicyclic terpene, 80%, l,a-phellandrene, 10-12%.
Bark: Lantanine, 0.08%.

Parts utilized and preparation
· Leaves, bark, roots, flowering tops.
· May be collected throughout the year.
· Sun-dry.

Characteristics and Pharmacological Effects
· Root: sweet and bitter tasting, refrigerant, antifebrile.
· Leaves: minty tasting, cooling natured, antiphlogistic, anti-dermatoses.
· Flowers: sweet tasting, mildly cooling, hemostatic.

Folkloric uses
· Influenza, cough, mumps, incessant high fever, malaria, cervical lymph node tuberculosis: use 30 to 60 gms dried roots or 60 to 120 gms fresh roots in decoction.
· Fever: Take decoction of bark or infusion of leaves and flowering tops as tea.
· Hemoptysis, pulmonary tuberculosis: use 6 to 9 gms dried flowers in decoction.
· Dermatitis, eczema, pruritus: use fresh stems and leaves.
· Rheumatism - Spread oil on leaves, warm over low flame and apply on affected part.
· Sprains, wounds, contusions: Use pounded fresh leaves applied as poultice.

I have a Lantana bush like the one in the picture with the pink and yellow flowers, and it has come back every year for nearly 30 years. It has thrived in our Texas heat and drought and just keeps on blooming!!! I dont' think I have ever actually watered it!

I am so glad to read the post above this one, I was beginning to think that I am the sole survivor of the Lantanna Poison!!!
My plant came from a cutting from my Mother and hers from her Mother. When I was a small child I remember distincly picking the little flowers off my Grandmothers bush and sticking the end to my tongue to taste the sweet nectar... and I am fine! Well...some may argue that point and say maybe that is what is wrong with me!!! But I am alive anyway.....LOL

Hello everyone. I thought that I would add my two little cents in here. Lantana is one of my favorite plants. It is a butterfly magnet and I love to watch them. In my experience this is a must have flower to have in your garden.

My grandmother planted one of these near her porch years ago. Every year since then I have seen more and more of them coming up in her yard that she didn't plant. It is even spreading into the pasture next to her house. If you live in zone 8 or above, this one is a potential invasive.

Lantana that you buy in garden centers that are in hanging baskets are the PERFECT plant for very hot porches and decks that have full sun. They bloom non-stop and attract butterflies. They come in many beautiful colors, and look fresh even in the long days of summer, when nothing else is
blooming in my area. Keep out of reach of children and pets, and enjoy their blooms and the butterflies all summer long.

This is a pretty weedy plant, and, I thought, hard to kill here in Southern California where it is used all over freeway plantings, public landscaping, etc... makes a nice colored wall, but plant is not a 'nice' plant- grows aggressively, and can be very irritating to deal with if you forget to use gloves (lots or urticating hairs that are quite annoying).

But yesterday I also discovered it is quite a bit more cold sensitive than its 8a climate listed above would have me expect... I live in zone 9b, bordering on 10a... yet a freeze we got 2 nights ago melted mine to the ground. Obviously it will come back?? Why I even have it in my yard I don't know ('peer' pressure from othe household members, actually). But now, if I hurry, I can dig it out with the excuse it died during the freeze. Just surprised this happened at all. 27F is below this plants limit to maintain leaves, in case you were wondering.

This plant is invasive in irrigated areas of southwest Arizona. There was some already in the backyard when we bought our house. It is now over 6 feet tall and very hard to contain. We spend half our summer hacking it back. The bees seem to really like it tho.

Quick note: Most plants from Brazil should not be planted anywhere in Florida! If you look at the lines of lattitude from the equator, Florida is about the same as parts of Brazil, hence the reason Florida is having so many "tropical" invasive problems. Lantana is a weed! Do not plant it! It may be pretty, and butterflys enjoy it, but eventually you will not. It has choked out an entire garden of mine, even with aggressive cut-backs. If you have it "growing naturally" in your yard, the reality of it is is that there are birds bringing the seeds from someone else's property. There are many other plants that are enjoyed by wildlife that are not as invasive, and as poisonous.

This plant grows wild on our ranch in Boerne,Texas (NW of San Antonio). The deer dont eat it and we have run over the bushes with our truck and trailer hundreds of times. I can't believe that the ones on the dirt roads still return year after year. We have had a pretty bad drought for almost two years now (since Hurricane Katrina and Rita) and they are still fighting stong.

While Lantana is a most attractive plant (I loved its pretty flowers and peppery aroma as a child) it has a great danger of being strongly invasive is situations it finds suitable. It has been declared a class two noxious weed in tropical North Queensland, Australia. Having escaped domestic and public gardens it has taken no time to invade temporate and rain forest and swamps.
Beware plantings in all tropical areas.

Lantana was the first plant I fell in love with as a child. I was walking in the field by our house and I saw a wild Lantana. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! I went back home, got a butter knife,and sawed through a huge root and brought it home and planted it for my mom. It lived and I was hooked for life. I have Lantana all over my yard and it is gorgeous! I have yellow, lavendar, and several shades of the old Ham&Eggs variety,[like the one I got out of the field]. I've grown them for many years and have never seen them as a pestilence,or invasive. We live in south MS in a climate that is darn near tropical and Lantana has never reseeded in my yard. A lot of my friends grow this plant as well and love it. The smell is devine, I love it. I can't say enough good about Lantana, one of the very best things is the butterflies flock to it, last summer at my mom's we looked out her kitchen window and her yellow and pink Lantana had no less than 30-40 black and yellow swallowtail butterflies all over it. I knew right then, I will always have lovely Lantana in my garden.

I confirm that this plant is poisonous by what i read in literature, specially the seeds.

Houston, TX

I have it in a container - so it grows pretty much under control.

The lantanas seems to bloom in cycles - they have been blooming since April, but right now, mine seems to be resting.

I saw this when I lived in California and planted it back in Washington State on a little island near Seattle and Tacoma. Even with our cooler temperatures because of the water if flurished in full sun. It lasted through October before it finally gave up. The only problem is the price for us up here because it isn't common :(

This plant is one of the most notorious weeds in temperate and subtropical eastern Australia. If you google 'lantana' and 'Australia' you will come across countless websites about the invasive nature of this plant. Its problem is that it self-seeds like crazy.

Places where it is less invasive: (a) anywhere with dry summers; (b) anywhere with frosts. But even then take great caution and check your local regulations.

I love this plant...so much so I just got another one with
the bright reddish flowers. The butterflies and bees love
them and they add a lot of color to my yard.

WOW...this plant is everywhere and has its share of comments! We have had it for years and it is a dependable plant -- tolerant of frost and drought conditions...all the while producing vibrant blooms. I like the scent of the leaves and am fond of the varieties of coloring to be found.

Love this plant nothing brings on the butterlies like this one it is a nice ground cover and weed block. I sure don't like to pull weeds. Roots eaily but I haven't had luck with seeds. Perennial here starts blooming in June will bloom all summer until hard frost. Flower colors get prettier as weather cools down. Plant dies back to roots after frost but recovers quickly every spring

Well, I had no idea that it was highly toxic! I have caught my dog chewing on the leaves for the past month now, but she hasn't shown any signs of poisoning, so I am assuming it is only actual consumption of the plant that causes poisoning. However, I do enjoy the flowers and the smell is nice ( in small amounts that is ) I will deffinately keep an eye on the animal activities around my lantana from now on!

I live in the northwest corner of Louisiana, Bossier City.

I have Lantana growing in full shade and it is 6' tall. It is planted in a bed surrounded on three sides by concrete and my house on the other side, so it isn't invasive. I have bulbs planted in the same bed, and after they finish blooming the Lantana covers the whole bed. I cut it to the ground in winter and it comes back each spring.

I love this plant as it reminds me of my Grandma. At a time when no water was ever "wasted" on flowers she always had one here in New Mexico. My cousins and I would pick the bouquets and play "wedding" with them! LOL! They are perennials here and I love that the rabbits leave them alone. Otherwise I would have nothing but cactus, sage and BP outside my stucco walls. DH seems to have allergic reactions to them and I don't like the scent. I wear a mask and cut them back myself. Love that they need little more than cutting back once yearly and give me constant blooms from early spring until November.

I planted 3 Lantana last summer. My garden is enclosed so I did not have to worry about my two dogs getting into it. I live right on the cusp of 7a/7b. These plants thrived,looked beautiful and attracted bees and butterflies better than the buddelia! I put down a weed barrier so I don't think they will reseed but I am hoping that they will come back this year. I debated whether to cut them back in fall or wait until spring..I decided to wait. I'll post if they come back (we had a couple of low temps; teens and once down to 8 degrees)

Grown all over in z9b Central Cal. This is a favorite of both public and private landscapes, showing up in street medians, freeway landsapes (where it trails and dangles over everything). It is a butterfly magnet.

Lantana is a common landscape plant throughout most of CA. I live in z9b/Sunset z9 and it is used in street medians to form hedges between the two sides, and pretty much every public landscape. I don't have one in my yard, but am thinking of adding some to a drought-tolerant/succulent garden.

Here in Zone 6B it is an annual, and it is gorgeous. I had a large potted specimen on my front walk last summer, and it drew so many remarks from people that I will definitely use it as a specimen agan this summer.

The plant must be deadheaded regularly in order to keep blooming and this MUST be done with gloves as touching the plant causes allergic reactions in everyone I've talked to about it.