- Elephant sculptures fashioned from Lantana camara were popular during an exhibition in Bengaluru.
Lantana Camara Facts
- Lantana camara, sometimes known as lantana, is a plant native to the American tropics that belongs to the verbena family (Verbenaceae).
- Lantana was brought to India as an attractive plant during the British colonial period in the early nineteenth century. Its brightly coloured blossoms make it popular in gardens.
- This shrub may grow across forest floors, climb over trees like a creeper, and easily combine with local plants.
- Lantana is a highly adaptable plant that thrives in a variety of habitats.
Effects on the Local Ecosystem
- The invasive nature of Lantana poses a major danger to native flora and species. It competes for resources with native plants, resulting in a loss in natural biodiversity.
- It grows dense thickets that change the structure of habitats by blocking animal migration and altering microhabitat elements like light availability and soil composition.
- It may infest agricultural land, limiting crop output, and it can also infest pastures, affecting livestock grazing.
- It is harmful to cattle and, if consumed, can cause health problems. This increases the financial burden on farmers who must guarantee their livestock do not graze on lantana-infested soil.
- Because it creates dense thickets that may quickly catch and spread fire, the plant increases the risk of fire in the habitats it invades.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/lantana-camara