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Purple Lantana

Lantana montevidensis

Other Common Names

Trailing Lantana, Trailing Shrub Verbena

Plant Category

Groundcover, Perennial

Invasive Description

Native to South America, Purple Trailing Lantana usually has purple flowers but it is being used as parent material to cross with Lantana camara to produce yellow flowers. The species is low trailing; the hybrids tend to be mounding.

Ecological Threat

Purple Lantana’s spreading nature has caused problems in natural areas. The plant has escaped gardens and naturalized in parts of the southern U.S. including Florida, the Gulf Coast and southern California. It can spread invasively in frost free areas. Its leaves and sap can be a skin irritant; if eaten, leaves can cause pets and livestock to become ill. Purple Lantana forms berries that, when unripe, are toxic.

 

How to Eradicate

For information on how to eradicate this invasive, view our statement on herbicide use and preferred alternatives for invasive plants.

Native Alternatives

You can replace this invasive plant with native alternatives. Here are some plants that make superior replacements.

Match your location on the Texas map to the color squares on the replacement plants below to find suitable replacements for your ecoregion.

Click for more details about the ecoregions