Lantana is a branching shrub that grows in clumps or dense thickets 2-4 m high, but is able to grow to 15 m tall if given support. Stems have sharp prickles, and leaves are 2-10 cm long, hairy, and ovate with toothed edges. Inflorescences are compact, dome-shaped, 2-3 cm across, and contain 20-40 sessile flowers. Hard green fruits are 5-7 mm in diameter, grow in clusters, and ripen to fleshy black or purple berries. Fruits are mainly dispersed by birds.
There are 29 variants of lantana naturalised in Australia. Native to Central and tropical South America, the earliest record of lantana in Australia is from 1841 in the old Botanic Gardens in Adelaide. There have been multiple introductions for horticultural purposes since, mainly in NSW and Queensland. Lantana has spread rapidly along the east coast of Australia, from southern NSW north to Cape York. It currently invades about 4 million hectares, mainly in NSW and Queensland. It is also naturalised in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia, and on Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. Lantana has the potential for much denser infestation of the coast and ranges, and to expand its range west and south of the Great Divide in NSW and other eastern States, at least along creek lines.
Lantana has significant adverse effects on biodiversity. It typically forms dense thickets, suppressing native vegetation and seedlings through shading, nutrient competition, smothering and allelopathy (ie. chemically suppresses the germination and/or growth of other plant species). Lantana readily invades disturbed sites and communities, including edges and canopy breaks in dense forest communities. In open forests and woodlands lantana often becomes a dominant understorey species. In warmer, moister areas lantana often becomes dominant in regenerating pastures.
In New South Wales, lantana has been identified as a threat to the following native plant species listed on Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995:
Acacia bakeri
Acacia chrysotricha
Acalypha eremorum
Acronychia littoralis
Allocasuarina portuensis
Amorphospermum whitei.
Angiopteris evecta.
Angophora robur
Archidendron hendersonii
Arthraxon hispidus
Austromyrtus fragrantissima
Baloghia marmorata
Belvisia mucronata
Boronia umbellata
Bosistoa selwynii
Bosistoa transversa
Calophanoides hygrophiloides
Cassia brewsteri var. marksiana
Clematis fawcettii
Corynocarpus rupestris subsp. rupestris
Cryptocarya foetida
Cynanchum elegans
Cyperus semifertilis
Daphnandra sp. C Illawarra
Davidsonia jerseyana
Davidsonia johnsonii
Desmodium acanthocladum
Diospyros mabacea
Diospyros major var. ebenus
Diploglottis campbellii
Doryanthes palmeri
Drynaria rigidula
Eidothea hardeniana
Elaeocarpus sp. Rocky Creek
Elaeocarpus williamsianus
Endiandra floydii
Endiandra hayesii
Endiandra muelleri subsp. bracteata
Eucalyptus glaucina
Eucalyptus parramattensis subsp. decadens
Eucalyptus tetrapleura
Fontainea australis
Fontainea oraria
Geijera paniculata
Hibbertia procumbens
Hicksbeachia pinnatifolia
Irenepharsus trypherus
Isoglossa eranthemoides
Lepiderema pulchella
Macadamia tetraphylla
Macrozamia johnsonii
Marsdenia longiloba
Melichrus 'hirsutus'
Melichrus sp.
Melicope vitiflora
Niemeyera chartacea
Ochrosia moorei
Owenia cepiodora
Parsonsia dorrigoensis
Phaius australis
Phaius tankarvilleae
Phyllanthus microcladus
Plectranthus alloplectus
Plectranthus nitidus
Polygala linariifolia
Pomaderris queenslandica
Pterostylis gibbosa
Quassia sp. Mooney Creek
Randia moorei
Rapanea sp. A Richmond River
Rhynchosia acuminatissima
Senna acclinis
Solanum celatum
Solanum limitare
Sophora fraseri
Syzygium paniculatum
Tinospora smilacina
Tinospora tinosporoides
Triplarina imbricata
Tylophora linearis
Tylophora woollsii
Typhonium sp. aff. brownii
Zieria prostrata
Lantana has been identified as a threat to at least two animal species listed as Endangered on Schedule 1 of the Act:
Dasyornis brachypterus (Eastern Bristlebird)
Ocybadistes knightorum (Black Grass-Dart Butterfly)
Lantana has also been identified as a threat to the following Endangered Ecological Communities listed on Schedule 1 Part 3 of the Act:
Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub in the Sydney Basin Bioregion
Illawarra Subtropical Rainforest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion
Lowland Rainforest on Floodplain in the NSW North Coast Bioregion
Littoral rainforest in the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner Bioregions
Lower Hunter spotted gum - Ironbark forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion
Pittwater Spotted Gum Forest
River-flat eucalypt forest on coastal floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, and South East Corner Bioregions
Swamp-oak floodplain forest of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner Bioregions
Swamp sclerophyll forest on the coastal floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner Bioregions
Sub-tropical Coastal floodplain forest of the NSW North Coast Bioregion
Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion
Blue Gum High Forest
Western Sydney Dry Rainforest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion
Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest
Milton Ulladulla Subtropical Rainforest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion
A national management plan is being prepared which will identify the biodiversity most at risk from lantana, and priority locations for control.
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