Landscape Performance, Flowering, and Female Fertility of Eight Trailing Lantana Varieties Grown in Central and Northern Florida

Abstract

Trailing lantana [Lantana montevidensis (Spreng.) Briq.] is a low-growing, woody ornamental valued for its heat and drought tolerance and repeat blooming of purple or white flowers throughout much of the year. In 2011, trailing lantana was predicted to have high invasion risk by the UF-IFAS’s assessment of non-native plants in Florida, and therefore it was no longer recommended for use. All cultivars fall under this designation unless proven otherwise. Eight trailing lantana varieties were obtained from wholesale growers or naturalized populations found in Texas and Australia. Plants were propagated vegetatively, finished in 4-inch pots, and planted in field trials located in central (Balm) and northern (Citra) Florida. Throughout the 24-week study from June to November, mean plant quality was between 4.4 and 4.7 (on a 1 to 5 scale) for U.S. varieties and 3.9 for the Australian form. Mean flowering was between 4.1 and 4.5 (on a 1 to 5 scale) for U.S. trailing lantana varieties and 3.5 for Australian trailing lantana. Australian trailing lantana differed from other U.S. varieties tested, being smaller in size, more sensitive to cold, and having a high female fertility index (producing abundant fruit with viable seed per peduncle). Our findings indicate that some U.S. varieties of trailing lantana are unlikely to present an ecological threat and merit consideration for production and use.

Ornamental Invasive Plants in Florida with Research-founded Alternatives

“…Over the past 2 decades in Florida, the invasive potential of nearly 20 ornamental species and their hybrids or cultivars have been evaluated that include nationally popular landscape plants such as trailing lantana [Lantana montevidensis (Wilson et al 2020)], porterweed [Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Qian et al 2021;], butterfly bush [Buddleja davidii (Wilson et al 2004)], Chinese privet [Ligustrum sinense (Fetouh et al 2020)], fountain grass [Pennisetum setaceum ], maiden silver grass [Miscanthus sinensis (Wilson and Knox 2006)], and heavenly bamboo [Nandina domestica (Wilson et al 2021)]. In addition, as part of planned breeding programs, UF researchers have developed genetic techniques to reduce the fecundity of plants, leading to sterile cultivars of Mexican petunia [Ruellia simplex (Freyre et al 2012a)] and lantana [Lantana strigocamara (Czarnecki et al 2012;Deng et al 2017Deng et al , 2020].…”

Summary of 26 Heavenly Bamboo Selections Evaluated for Invasive Potential in Florida

“…Thus, over the past 2 decades, UF researchers have been working to determine the invasive potential of nearly 20 ornamental species and their cultivars (Wilson et al, 2012), including popular landscape plants, such as trailing lantana [Lantana montevidensis (Steppe et al, 2019;Wilson et al, 2020)], lantana [Lantana camara (Czarnecki and Deng, 2020;Czarnecki et al, 2014)], porterweed [Stachytarpheta sp. (Qian et al, 2021)], butterfly bush [Buddleja davidii (Wilson et al, 2004)], mexican petunia [Ruellia simplex (Wilson et al, 2009)], privet [Ligustrum sp.…”