Lantana (Lantana camara)
Lantana flowers
Lantana is declared a Class B (growth and spread to be controlled) and Class C (not to be introduced to the Northern Territory) weed in accordance with the NT Weeds Management Act 2001. Lantana camara is a Weed of National Significance.
Lantana is native to the Americas. Lantana was introduced to Australia as an ornamental plant. It is a perennial, thicket-forming shrub that can grow to four metres. The woody stems are hairy and square when young, becoming cylindrical as the plant matures. The clusters of flowers are generally yellow and pink on opening, but change to orange and red with age. Each flower cluster produces round green fruits which ripen to a purplely black.
Lantana thrives in disturbed areas, but can also become the dominant understorey in undisturbed areas. Lantana is spread by layering, a form of vegetative reproduction, and also by birds and other animals consuming and passing the seeds in their droppings. Lantana is allelopathic, meaning it can release chemicals into the soil which prevent germination and competition from some other plant species.
Twenty-nine different forms of lantana are now naturalised in eastern Australia. Small infestations have occurred in the NT in Darwin, Adelaide River, Katherine, Mataranka and on Groote Eylandt.
Lantana can displace native species and alter of fire regimes. There are also significant impacts to the grazing sectors, though stock toxicity and loss of productivity.
Lantana's leaves and seeds are toxic to many animals, causing gastrointestinal disturbance, photosensitivity and potentially death in cattle and sheep. Toxicity levels can vary depending on of the particular kind of lantana and the amount eaten.
For more information on lantana, including the how to recognise and treat stock toxicity, please see the Weeds of National Significance publications.
Lantana flowers change to orange and red with age
