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Lantana

Lantana camara (lan-TAY-nah kah-MAR-ah)

Family: Verbenaceae Unknown Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

'Miss Huff ' lantana is a woody perennial in the Verbenaceae (verbena) family. It is the most cold-hardy lantana and is often evergreen, blooming on and off in the mild winters of the South. The parent plant is native to the West Indies, Mexico, and tropical America. ‘Miss Huff’ originated from cuttings of a plant in Athens, Georgia. Its showy orange blooms give the plant an almost tropical feel. Plant it in full sun and in moist, well-drained soil. It is a low-maintenance plant that tolerates heat and drought once established, is resistant to salt and deer, and grows quickly to fill a space. At maturity, it is 4 to 6 feet in height and 4 to 6 feet in width. The showy flowers appear from spring until fall and are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It makes an excellent addition to a cottage or pollinator garden, foundation planting, or shrub border. It may also be used for mass planting along rock walls or hillsides, and it even does well in containers on the patio. This plant does grow quickly and aggressively, however, so plan its location accordingly. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems, although whiteflies and spider mites can affect plants kept over the winter. In certain areas of the country with more tropical climates Lantana camera is weedy or even invasive. Leaves can cause minor skin irritation and unripe berries are poisonous if eaten. It is toxic to livestock such as cattle, sheep, horses, and goats. Has shown excellent resistance to phytophthora. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Annuals, Perennials, Vines, and Groundcovers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Lantana camara .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 68 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Lantana camara
Fills a similar niche Lantana camara Lantana camara 'Ham and Eggs' Salvia rosmarinus

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Annual; Ground Cover; Perennial; Poisonous
Life cycle
Annual; Perennial
USDA zones
7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Dense; Mounding
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Simple, opposite or whorled, serrate margin; have a fragrance when crushed.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Pink
Flower value
Fragrant; Long Bloom Season; Long-lasting; Showy
Flower form
Umbel
Flower shape
Star; Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Showy colorful orange and pink tubular flowers with 5 lobes clustered in a spherical umbel appear spring through summer and can flower sporadically almost year-round in mild winters.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black; Blue; Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
berry-like drupe turns metallic blue or purple-black
Stem color
Green
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Berries are eaten by birds.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Hummingbirds; Moths; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Drupe
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Container; Patio; Pool/Hardscape; Slope/Bank; Walkways
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Cottage Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border; Foundation Planting; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#heat tolerant #showy flowers #nectar plant #drought tolerant #fragrant leaves #low maintenance #evergreen #long-lasting flowers #mass planting #colorful #fragrant flowers #hillsides #orange flowers #pink flowers #spring interest #humidity tolerant #deer resistant #hummingbird friendly #salt tolerant #poisonous fruits #well-drained soil #pollinator plant #butterfly friendly #summer flowers #tropical feel #stormwater demo garden orange co #full sun tolerant #container plant #frost tolerant #long bloom time #problem for dogs #foundation planting #problem for cats #contact dermatitis #poisonous #bee friendly #problem for cattle #problem for children #problem for horses #fast growing #patio #wildlife friendly #weedy
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Contact Dermatitis; Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Children; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses; Weedy
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Heat; Humidity; Salt
Particularly resistant to
Resistant to phytophthora.
Poison severity
Medium
Poison parts
Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Sap/Juice
Poison symptoms
Vomiting, diarrhea, dilated pupils, labored respiration; the leaves may cause dermatitis.
Toxic principle
Triterpenes (lantadene A & B)
Contact dermatitis
Yes
Toxicity summary
Medium severity poison; parts: Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Sap/Juice; contact dermatitis

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.