Lantana
Lantana camara, Fam. Verbenaceae
Many branched shrub or branch climber to 2m or more, often forming dense thickets; stems hairy and armed with small recurved prickles, stems four-angled.
| Weed Category: |
Restricted invasive plants Category 3 Plants declared invasive under the Biosecurity Act 2014, that are present in QLD.
Not to be distributed or disposed of.
 Thirty-two WONS (Weeds of National Significance) have been identified because of their impact on primary production and the environment, potential for spread and socioeconomic impacts.
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| Weed: | Yes |
| Form or habit: | Shrub |
| Family: | Verbenaceae |
| Leaf: | Simple Opposite Opposite simple ovate, bright green with stiff sand-papery hairs above, paler and hairy below; margins shallowly toothed; distinctly aromatic when crushed, 25-100 x 15-75mm. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Yellow, Red, Pink, Orange |
| Flower description: | Slender tubular with 4-5 spreading lobes, borne in many-flowered compact axillary heads. Heads, 20-30mm in diameter; colours primarily pink and yellow in this region but orange and red flowered forms may be present. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Black, Purple |
| Fruit: | Fleshy |
| Fruit description: | Fleshy berry-like drupes, 4-8 x 4-8mm, glossy, purplish-black with 1-4 brown ‘seeds’. |
| Habitat: | |
| Distribution | |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | Toxic if ingested, potential allergen, toxic or irritant to domestic pets, toxic to native animals |
| Origin: | Tropical America |
| Notes: | Spread by: seeds spread by birds; seeds and stem fragments in garden waste or by slashing; suckering from roots, layering or taking root where stems contact ground. Invades/threats: colonises a wide variety of habitats, including rainforest, open forest, exposed dry hillsides, wet heavily shaded gullies; prefers fertile soil but also grows in sandy coastal communities. Notes: introduced as garden ornamentals. Wide-spread and abundant weed. Aggressively colonises disturbed areas almost totally excluding regeneration of native species; smothers native vegetation; degrades pastures; forms impenetrable thickets for animals, people, and vehicles. Poisonous to stock. Highly flammable in dry conditions. Category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014, it must not be given away, sold, or released into the environment without a permit. The Act requires everyone to take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise the risks associated with invasive plants and animals under their control. This is called a general biosecurity obligation (GBO). |
| Information sources: | Mackay Regional Pest Management Group (2018) Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region Second Edition. |
