AARP Online Community: jo31793 - Now, I will tell you about lantana camara

jo31793

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Gender: Female

Status: Married

Location:
INDIANOLA, Oklahoma
United States

Hometown(s):
Lynn, MA - Raymond, NH - Loudon, NH - Barefoot Bay, FL

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Now, I will tell you about lantana camara

Common Names: lantana, shrub verbena
Family: Verbenaceae (verbena or vervain Family)
http://www.floridata.com/ref/L/lant_c.cfm

When I moved to Florida in 1987 I had never even heard of Lantana. It is considered and invasive weed in Florida… but I thought it was the most beautiful flowering shrub I had ever seen. I had a landscaping business in Florida and I soon learned to get rid of lantana every chance I had.

Then, in the winter of 1997 I moved to Oklahoma. When the first spring came here it popped up in my front garden. Evidently, Grace(who built this house and my garden here) saw the beauty of the lantana the way that I did. It’s not at all difficult to control it’s spread here…

WARNING: Pets have reportedly become ill after ingesting lantana. The unripe berries are known to be very toxic and the foliage toxic to livestock. Lantana is listed as a Category I invasive exotic species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, which means that it is known to be "invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida." Lantana is also invading natural areas in Texas and is a huge problem in Hawaii.