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L. camara is a medium-sized perennial aromatic shrub, 2-5 m tall, with quadrangular stems, sometimes having prickles. The posture may be sub-erect, scrambling, or occasionally clambering (ascending into shrubs or low trees, clinging to points of contact by means of prickles, branches, and leaves). Frequently, multiple stems arise from ground level. The leaves are generally oval or broadly lance-shaped, 2-12 cm in length, and 2-6 cm broad, having a rough surface and a yellow-green to green colour. The flat-topped inflorescence may be yellow, orange, white, pale violet, pink, or red. Flowers are small, multicoloured, in stalked, dense, flat-topped clusters to 4 cm across. Fruit is a round, fleshy, 2 seeded drupe, about 5 mm wide, green turning purple then blue-black (similar in appearance to a blackberry).

Recoginition

L. camara is conspicuous due to its attractive and multicoloured floral displays and is a well-known species throughout the tropics.

Related invasive species

  • Lantana camara

Related Farm Practice

  • Host plants
  • Hosts
Impact

L. camara is a highly variable ornamental shrub, native of the neotropics. It has been introduced to most of the tropics and subtropics as a hedge plant and has since been reported as extremely weedy and invasive in many countries. It is generally deleterious to biodiversity and has been reported as an agricultural weed resulting in large economic losses in a number of countries. In addition to this, it increases the risk of fire, is poisonous to livestock and is a host for numerous pests and diseases. L. camara is difficult to control. In Australia, India and South Africa aggressive measures to eradicate L. camara over the last two centuries have been largely unsuccessful, and the invasion trajectory has continued upwards despite control measures. This species has been the target of biological control programmes for over a century, with successful control only being reported in a few instances.

Has Cabi datasheet ID
29771
Hosts

L. camara is an agricultural weed that can cause dramatic losses in yields. In Australia, it was reported that L. camara infested 4 million ha of pasture (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992). A number of plants affected by L. camara are listed in the "Host Plants/Plants Affected" table below.

Oss tagged
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