Common Names
Kantutay (Tag.)
Koronitas (Tag.)
Diris (Tag.)
Lantana (Tag., Eng.)
Cherry pie (Eng.)
Spanish flag (Eng.)
Stink grass (Eng.)
Raimuniya (Hind.)
Scientific Names
Lantana camara Linn.
Camara vulgaris Benth.
Lantana antillana Raf.
Lantana asperata Vis.
Lantana crocea Jacq.
Lantana glandulosissima Hayek
Lantana mixta Medik.
Lantana montziana f. parvifolia Moldenke
Lantana undulata Raf.
Lantana urticofolia Mill.
Quick Info
Kantutay, also known as koronitas (Tag.), lantana (Tag., Eng.), and Spanish flag (Eng.), is a species of flowering plant within the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to the American tropics.
Kantutay, often planted to embellish gardens, has spread from its native Central and South America to around 50 different countries, where it has become an invasive species. It spread from the Americas into the rest of the world when it was brought back to Europe by Dutch explorers and cultivated widely, soon spreading into Asia and Oceania, where it established itself as a notorious weed.
Kantutay will often out-compete other more desirable species, leading to a reduction in biodiversity. It can also cause problems if it invades agricultural areas as a result of its toxicity to livestock as well as its ability to form dense thickets which if left unchecked can greatly reduce the productivity of farm land.
The name Lantana derives from the Latin name of the wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana, the flowers of which closely resemble Lantana.
Kantutay (Tag.)
Koronitas (Tag.)
Diris (Tag.)
Lantana (Tag., Eng.)
Cherry pie (Eng.)
Spanish flag (Eng.)
Stink grass (Eng.)
Raimuniya (Hind.)
Scientific Names
Lantana camara Linn.
Camara vulgaris Benth.
Lantana antillana Raf.
Lantana asperata Vis.
Lantana crocea Jacq.
Lantana glandulosissima Hayek
Lantana mixta Medik.
Lantana montziana f. parvifolia Moldenke
Lantana undulata Raf.
Lantana urticofolia Mill.
Quick Info
Kantutay, also known as koronitas (Tag.), lantana (Tag., Eng.), and Spanish flag (Eng.), is a species of flowering plant within the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to the American tropics.
Kantutay, often planted to embellish gardens, has spread from its native Central and South America to around 50 different countries, where it has become an invasive species. It spread from the Americas into the rest of the world when it was brought back to Europe by Dutch explorers and cultivated widely, soon spreading into Asia and Oceania, where it established itself as a notorious weed.
Kantutay will often out-compete other more desirable species, leading to a reduction in biodiversity. It can also cause problems if it invades agricultural areas as a result of its toxicity to livestock as well as its ability to form dense thickets which if left unchecked can greatly reduce the productivity of farm land.
The name Lantana derives from the Latin name of the wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana, the flowers of which closely resemble Lantana.
Description
Kantutay is a small perennial shrub which can grow to around 2 m tall and form dense thickets in a variety of environments. Due to extensive selective breeding throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries for use as an ornamental plant there are now many different kantutay cultivars.
Kantutay has small tubular shaped flowers which each have four petals and are arranged in clusters in terminal areas stems. Flowers come in many different colors including red, yellow, white, pink and orange which differ depending on location in inflorescences, age, and maturity. After pollination occurs the color of the flowers change (typically from yellow to orangish, pinkish, or reddish), this is believed to be a signal to pollinators that the pre-change color contains a reward as well as being sexually viable, thus increasing pollination efficiency. The leaves are broadly ovate, opposite, and simple and have a strong odor when crushed. The fruit of kantutay is a berry-like drupe which turns from green to dark purple when mature.
Both vegetative (asexual) and seed reproduction occur. Up to 12,000 fruits can be produced by each plant which are then eaten by birds and other animals which can spread the seeds over large distances, facilitating the spread of kantutay. The flower has a tutti frutti smell with a pepper undertone.
Distribution
The native range of kantutay is Central and South America, however it has become naturalized in around 60 tropical and sub-tropical countries worldwide. It is found frequently in East and South Africa where it occurs at altitudes below 2000 m and often invades previously disturbed areas such as logged forests and areas cleared for agriculture.
Kantutay has also colonized areas of Africa, Southern Europe, such as Spain and Portugal, the Middle East, India, tropical Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, as well as many Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean islands. It has also become a significant weed in Sri Lanka after escaping from the Royal Botanic gardens of Sri Lanka in 1926. It was introduced into the Philippines from Hawaii as part of an exchange program between the United States and the Philippines, however it managed to escape and has become naturalized in the islands.
The range of kantutay is still increasing, shown by the fact that it has invaded many islands on which it was not present in 1974 (including the Galapagos Islands, Saipan and the Solomon Islands). There is also evidence that kantutay is still increasing its range in areas where it has been established for many years, such as East Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The ability of kantutay to rapidly colonize areas of land which have been disturbed has allowed it to proliferate in countries where activities such as logging, clearance for agriculture and forest fires are common. Whereas in countries with large areas of intact primary forest, the distribution of kantutay has been limited.
Invasiveness
Kantutay is considered to be a weed in large areas of the Paleotropics where it has established itself. In agricultural areas or secondary forests it can become the dominant understory shrub, crowding out other native species and reducing biodiversity. The formation of dense thickets of kantutay can significantly slow down the regeneration of forests by preventing the growth of new trees.
Although kantutay is itself quite resistant to fire, it can change fire patterns in a forest ecosystem by altering the fuel load to cause a buildup of forest fuel which increases the risk of fires spreading to the canopy. This can be particularly destructive in dry, arid areas where fire can spread quickly and lead to the loss of large areas of natural ecosystem.
Kantutay reduces the productivity in pasture through the formation of dense thickets which reduce growth of crops as well as make harvesting more difficult. There are also secondary impacts, including the finding that mosquitoes which transmit malaria and tsetse flies in Africa shelter within the bushes of kantutay.
Even though kantutay is considered invasive to the western ghats the plant does not seem to impact biodiversity in the region, rather it tends to simply occupy the same moist regions as other species.
There are many reasons why kantutay has been so successful as an invasive species; however, the primary factors which have allowed it to establish itself are:
Toxicity
Kantutay is known to be toxic to livestock such as cattle, sheep, horses, dogs and goats. The active substances causing toxicity in grazing animals is pentacyclic triterpenoids which result in liver damage and photo-sensitivity. Kantutay also excretes chemicals (allelopathy) which reduce the growth of surrounding plants by inhibiting germination and root elongation.
The toxicity of kantutay to humans is undetermined, with several studies suggesting that ingesting berries can be toxic to humans, such as a study by O. P. Sharma which states "Green unripe fruits of the plant are toxic to humans". However other studies have found evidence which suggests that ingestion of kantutay fruit poses no risk to humans and are in fact edible when ripe.
Ornamental
Kantutay has been grown specifically for use as an ornamental plant since Dutch explorers first brought it to Europe from the New World. Its ability to last for a relatively long time without water and that it does not have many pests or diseases which affect it have contributed to it becoming a common ornamental plant. Kantutay also attracts butterflies and birds and so is frequently used in Florida's butterfly gardens.
Text content copied from:
Flowers of India article Lantana
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Lantana.html
Wikipedia article Lantana camara
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_camara
Some changes were made.
See those pages' history for attribution.
Last updated: March 16, 2017
Text content made available for this website through http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Next article - - - Kulanta
Previous article - - - Alugbati
Kantutay is a small perennial shrub which can grow to around 2 m tall and form dense thickets in a variety of environments. Due to extensive selective breeding throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries for use as an ornamental plant there are now many different kantutay cultivars.
Kantutay has small tubular shaped flowers which each have four petals and are arranged in clusters in terminal areas stems. Flowers come in many different colors including red, yellow, white, pink and orange which differ depending on location in inflorescences, age, and maturity. After pollination occurs the color of the flowers change (typically from yellow to orangish, pinkish, or reddish), this is believed to be a signal to pollinators that the pre-change color contains a reward as well as being sexually viable, thus increasing pollination efficiency. The leaves are broadly ovate, opposite, and simple and have a strong odor when crushed. The fruit of kantutay is a berry-like drupe which turns from green to dark purple when mature.
Both vegetative (asexual) and seed reproduction occur. Up to 12,000 fruits can be produced by each plant which are then eaten by birds and other animals which can spread the seeds over large distances, facilitating the spread of kantutay. The flower has a tutti frutti smell with a pepper undertone.
Distribution
The native range of kantutay is Central and South America, however it has become naturalized in around 60 tropical and sub-tropical countries worldwide. It is found frequently in East and South Africa where it occurs at altitudes below 2000 m and often invades previously disturbed areas such as logged forests and areas cleared for agriculture.
Kantutay has also colonized areas of Africa, Southern Europe, such as Spain and Portugal, the Middle East, India, tropical Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, as well as many Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean islands. It has also become a significant weed in Sri Lanka after escaping from the Royal Botanic gardens of Sri Lanka in 1926. It was introduced into the Philippines from Hawaii as part of an exchange program between the United States and the Philippines, however it managed to escape and has become naturalized in the islands.
The range of kantutay is still increasing, shown by the fact that it has invaded many islands on which it was not present in 1974 (including the Galapagos Islands, Saipan and the Solomon Islands). There is also evidence that kantutay is still increasing its range in areas where it has been established for many years, such as East Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The ability of kantutay to rapidly colonize areas of land which have been disturbed has allowed it to proliferate in countries where activities such as logging, clearance for agriculture and forest fires are common. Whereas in countries with large areas of intact primary forest, the distribution of kantutay has been limited.
Invasiveness
Kantutay is considered to be a weed in large areas of the Paleotropics where it has established itself. In agricultural areas or secondary forests it can become the dominant understory shrub, crowding out other native species and reducing biodiversity. The formation of dense thickets of kantutay can significantly slow down the regeneration of forests by preventing the growth of new trees.
Although kantutay is itself quite resistant to fire, it can change fire patterns in a forest ecosystem by altering the fuel load to cause a buildup of forest fuel which increases the risk of fires spreading to the canopy. This can be particularly destructive in dry, arid areas where fire can spread quickly and lead to the loss of large areas of natural ecosystem.
Kantutay reduces the productivity in pasture through the formation of dense thickets which reduce growth of crops as well as make harvesting more difficult. There are also secondary impacts, including the finding that mosquitoes which transmit malaria and tsetse flies in Africa shelter within the bushes of kantutay.
Even though kantutay is considered invasive to the western ghats the plant does not seem to impact biodiversity in the region, rather it tends to simply occupy the same moist regions as other species.
There are many reasons why kantutay has been so successful as an invasive species; however, the primary factors which have allowed it to establish itself are:
- Wide dispersal range made possible by birds and other animals which eat its drupes
- Less prone to being eaten by animals due to toxicity
- Tolerance of a wide range of environmental conditions
- Increase in logging and habitat modification which has been beneficial to kantutay as it prefers disturbed habitats
- Production of toxic chemicals which inhibit competing plant species
- Extremely high seed production (12,000 seeds from each plant per year)
Toxicity
Kantutay is known to be toxic to livestock such as cattle, sheep, horses, dogs and goats. The active substances causing toxicity in grazing animals is pentacyclic triterpenoids which result in liver damage and photo-sensitivity. Kantutay also excretes chemicals (allelopathy) which reduce the growth of surrounding plants by inhibiting germination and root elongation.
The toxicity of kantutay to humans is undetermined, with several studies suggesting that ingesting berries can be toxic to humans, such as a study by O. P. Sharma which states "Green unripe fruits of the plant are toxic to humans". However other studies have found evidence which suggests that ingestion of kantutay fruit poses no risk to humans and are in fact edible when ripe.
Ornamental
Kantutay has been grown specifically for use as an ornamental plant since Dutch explorers first brought it to Europe from the New World. Its ability to last for a relatively long time without water and that it does not have many pests or diseases which affect it have contributed to it becoming a common ornamental plant. Kantutay also attracts butterflies and birds and so is frequently used in Florida's butterfly gardens.
Text content copied from:
Flowers of India article Lantana
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Lantana.html
Wikipedia article Lantana camara
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_camara
Some changes were made.
See those pages' history for attribution.
Last updated: March 16, 2017
Text content made available for this website through http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Next article - - - Kulanta
Previous article - - - Alugbati