Trailing Lantana can be used as a climbing vine with support, or as a trailer or grown flat as a groundcover. In warmer climates, it can be used as erosion control on a slope or bank. This plant does best in full sun in sandy, slightly dry soil. It is tolerant of coastal conditions, such as heat, humidity, and salt spray. In Zone 8, plants are root hardy, they will die back to the ground in winter but if well mulched will resprout in spring. Leaves and sap can be a skin irritant. If eaten, the leaves will cause pets and livestock to become ill. Lantana montevidensis forms berried fruits that, when unripe, are toxic. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Leaf spot and stem rot can be an issue. Powdery mildew can occur when grown in an area where full sun is not provided. Spider mites and whiteflies can cause damage.
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.
Dark green leaves have an unpleasant aroma when bruised and can be a skin irritant. The petioles are short (2-4mm). The leaves are ovate and finely toothed (crenate or serrate). The upper surfaces are rough and the lower surfaces are softly hairy.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Umbel
Flower shape
Funnel; Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Circular head of purple-lavender to white funnel-shaped flowers with 1/2" wide lobed corollas. The individual flowers have white toward the base of the lilac petal lobes and a yellow throat and open from the outside of the inflorescence first towards the center.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Reddish-purple to purple 'berries' are 6-8 mm across and contain a single hard seed. Some cultivars do not produce seed (sterile).
Stem detail
The stems (1-2 mm thick) are quadrangular but become woody (about 5 mm thick) and more or less cylindrical as they mature. They may grow to about 1 m long and form dense mats on the ground, sometimes producing roots at the nodes where they make soil contact.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
tropical areas of South America
Distribution
This plant has naturalized in eastern Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, New Caledonia and southern USA (i.e. California, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida). Where naturalized, it is primarily a weed of pastures, open woodlands, hillsides, railways, roadsides, embankments, disturbed sites and waste areas.
Wildlife value
Favorite among butterflies and other pollinators and a food source for birds.