Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Lantana camara
Common Lantana
Almost nothing flowers as relentlessly in heat as Lantana camara. Flat heads of tiny flowers open in one colour and age to another, so a single head carries yellow, orange and red together, and in a warm climate the display barely pauses.
The plant is tough to the point of being difficult: it takes reflected heat off paving, poor soil, salt-laden wind and long dry periods, which is precisely why the compact sterile cultivars have become a fixture of Gulf and tropical streetscapes.
Specifications
- Height1 to 3 metres, with compact cultivars held at 0.3 to 0.8 metres
- Width1 to 2.5 metres
- Native toTropical America, from Central America to the Caribbean and northern South America
- FoliageRough-textured, aromatic ovate leaves with toothed margins; evergreen in warm climates
- Growth rateFast
Conditions
- SoilPrefers well-drained soils; tolerates poor, sandy, stony and alkaline ground
- LightFull sun
- WaterLow; strongly drought-tolerant once established
- ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical and arid regions and tolerates extreme summer heat
Additional Features
- FlowersFlat heads of small flowers that change colour with age, carried almost continuously in warm climates
- UsesStreet medians, roundabouts, car park islands, slope stabilisation and mass colour planting
- SpacingPlant 0.5 to 0.8 metres apart for compact forms, or 1 to 1.5 metres apart for the species
- Low MaintenanceCut back hard once or twice a year to keep plants dense and flowering low
- Pest ResistanceRarely troubled; the aromatic foliage deters browsing
- Salt ToleranceTolerates salt-laden wind and is used in front-line coastal planting
- ToxicityFoliage and unripe fruit are toxic to livestock; not suitable for grazing land
- Wildlife AttractionFlowers are worked heavily by butterflies
Common Lantana is the most productive flowering shrub available for hot, dry, high-exposure planting, provided the form supplied is the right one.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 09 September 2026