Marcus, Joseph A.
Lantana urticoides Hayek
Texas lantana, Calico bush, West Indian shrub-verbena
Verbenaceae (Verbena Family)
A spreading
shrub, much branched from the ground upward, branches sometimes with prickles. Frequent in brushy places and in woodlands.
Bark light gray to light brown, tending to flake off. Young twigs nearly square in cross section, covered with short hairs visible under a 10x hand lens. Leaves
opposite, up to 2 1/2 inches long, broadly
ovate, pointed at the tip, flattened at the base, upper surface rough to the touch; margins coarsely
toothed, teeth broad, pointed or rounded. Flowers colorful, red, orange, and yellow, tubular with four flared lobes; in dense, rounded clusters with a leafy
bract subtending each flower, at the ends of long paired stems (peduncles) usually extending beyond the leaves, appearing from April to October.
Fruit round, fleshy, dark blue to black.
This species is a member of the verbena family (family Verbenaceae), which includes about 75 genera and 3,000 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly of tropical and warm temperate regions. Among them, teak is a highly prized furniture wood, and Vervain, Lantana, Lippia or Frog
Fruit, and Chase
Tree or Vitex are grown as ornamentals.
Image Gallery:
40 photo(s) available
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial Habit: Shrub Leaf Arrangement: Opposite Leaf Shape: Ovate Flower:
Fruit: Black
Size Class: 3-6 ft.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Red , Orange , Yellow
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct
Distribution
USA: AL , AZ , CA , FL , LA , MS , NM , NC , SC , TX
Native Distribution: Throughout TX, except the n.w., & adjacent Mex.; introduced elsewhere
Native Habitat: Fields, thickets, swamps, rich sandy woods, scrub, gravelly hills, flats. Chaparral and roadsides, almost throughout Texas. Well-drained sand, loam, clay, caliche. Fields; thickets; sandy woods; gravelly hillsides
USDA Native Status: L48(N) Growing Conditions
Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Poor, well-drained soils.
Conditions Comments: Lantana provides summer color. In winter, some gardeners prune back lantana to keep the plants from getting too large. The stems become thorny especially with age, so caution is necessary when cutting them back. The blue-black
fruit clusters are poisonous. Used as a low to medium, flowering ground cover for dry, exposed, poor sites. Crinkly leaves give off a sharp aroma when touched and they can cause a skin rash. Mature plants tend to form large mounds that may be separated into smaller plants in the winter.
Benefit
Use Wildlife: Attracts butterflies. Deer-proof.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: High
Last Update: 2009-06-22
