Native Plant Alternatives to Lantana camara (Largeleaf Lantana)

Lantana camara, commonly known as lantana, is considered an invasive species in many parts of the world, including certain regions of the United States, Australia, and many islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Native to Central and South America, lantana has been widely introduced around the world as an ornamental plant due to its colorful, clustered flowers and its tolerance of a variety of environmental conditions.

The invasiveness of lantana is due to its ability to thrive in a range of habitats, its prolific seed production, and its resistance to many common herbicides. Lantana can form dense thickets that outcompete native vegetation for resources, and it can also alter fire regimes and negatively impact wildlife.

In the United States, lantana is considered a problem, particularly in the southeastern states and in Hawaii. However, many of the lantana varieties sold for gardening are sterile cultivars that do not produce viable seed, reducing their potential for invasiveness.

Lantana camara is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

According to the U.S Forest Service, Invasive species have contributed to the decline of 42% of U.S. endangered and threatened species and 18% of U.S. endangered or threatened species. Invasive species compete directly with native species for moisture, sunlight, nutrients, and space. They displace and alter native plant communities, degrade wildlife habitat and water quality, and potentially lead to increased soil erosion.

The federal government has estimated that nearly 25 percent of the 20,000 plant species native to North America are at risk of extinction, many of these through habitat loss. You can help reverse this trend by planting great native plants in your garden.

A plant is considered native if it occurs naturally in a particular region or ecosystem without human introduction. There are many benefits to growing native plants. First, these plants are better adapted to soils, moisture, and weather than exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world. They need fewer fertilizers and pesticides or use less water. Second, they are unlikely to escape and become invasive, destroying natural habitats. Third, they support wildlife, providing shelter and food for native birds and insects, while exotic plants do not.