In Australia, lantana is a weed. In this instance, I don’t mean a weed that disturbs the look of a flat green lawn, like a dandelion, but a weed that disturbs the natural order of native bushland where it smothers the native plants that provide food and homes for Australian wildlife (which, by the way, is epically awesome in my opinion!). Lantana is a genus of plants that belong to the Verbeaceae family.

There are a couple of species of lantana that cause some mischief here in good old Australia. The first is Lantana camara, which (in my experience is the bigger problem and far more common). This is a species that calls the tropical areas of South America its native home, brought here to Australia for the, no doubt vacuous, reason of having pretty flowers (can’t argue, but it smells nasty so it puts me off from the get go). This species has the following delightful features:

• It is a thicket forming shrub that grows up to 4 metres in height, according to the books, and has prickles on its long, woody stems that are weak
• It’s leaves are 2.5-8cm long, oppositely arranged on the stem, broadly oblong in shape with a pointed tip and serrated margin, a wrinkly upper surface and a hairy lower surface. The leaves also have a rather pungent (and nasty, in my opinion) and distinctive odour when crushed.
• The flowers are in clusters that are 2-3 cm across, with colours being any combination of white, pink, red, yellow and orange. Flowers appear on long stalks that grow fro leaf axils. Appear through most of the year.
• Fruit are berry-like and succulent, containing one seed per fruit, which measures 2-3mm across. They mature to a purple-black colour.
• Should be kept away from livestock due to the fact that it is poisonous to these animals.
• This species is widespread in the east of Australia, especially in areas of bushland, pasture and along rivers, provided it is north of the town of Bega in southern New South Wales.
• Many varieties are thorny, so be careful when handling this plant.

The other species of lantana is Lantana montevidensis (known as trailing lantana) has the same native range as above. It is a low growing species with no prickles and stems that root at the nodes (where the leaves grow from). This species has smaller leaves and purple flowers. It is a weed of wasteland and is naturalised in coastal areas In Sydney and further north. It can appear occasionally inland too.

The reason why lantana is trouble is that it does form dense, thick areas of just lantana, out competing all the plants native to an area of bushland. I have seen it grow taller than I am, with no other plants underneath it able to survive. This reduces the natural biodiversity of an area, which is something that is always bad for us and for wildlife.

To deal with this weed, it is best to go in with a long-term plan. I say this because it can provide a protective home for wildlife too, especially in large infestations. It is best to remove it in sections over time. After removal of the first section of lantana, plant out a range of native plant species, including trees, shrubs and ground covers (and anything in between) to replace it-obviously what you plant depends on the space you have, but don’t always pick the same species or plant type-variety is important. As your new plants are growing, weed around them to reduce competition. Every year, remove some more lantana and repeat the process.

Of course, if you only have a small amount, remove it early and you reduce the amount of work you have to do. The earlier you start dealing with it, the easier it is to deal with.