LANTANA
Scientific name: Lantana Camara
Family: Verbenaceae/vervain
Origin: West Indies
Description:
A multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub; can grow to six feet or more; stems are square covered with bristly hairs when green; usually has small prickles scattered along stems. Leaves are oval, six inches long, having blunt toothed edges, rough, hairy, opposite, and plain, with stems to one inch long. Flowers are small, multi-colored, flat-topped clusters 1.5 inches wide. Flowers may be white-to-pink or lavender, yellow-to-orange or red. Fruit is small, round, fleshy, green turning purple then blue to black.
Habitat/Ecology:
Occurs in disturbed areas, such as roadsides and fields; also found in various natural areas, such as pine flat woods, coastal dune, and hammocks. Displaces native vegetation, forming dense understory thickets in sunny open areas; also known to be fire tolerant. Seeds dispersed by songbirds.
LATHERLEAF
Scientific name: Colubrina asiatica
Family: Rhamnaceae/buckthorn
Origin: Old World
Description:
Evergreen, scrambling shrub; slender branches to sixteen feet long; in older plants, stems to 49 feet long. Leaves alternate, with slender leaf-stalks up to 3/4 inch long; blades oval, shiny dark green above 1.5-3.5 inches long and one-to-two inches wide, with toothed margins and producing a thin lather when crushed and rubbed in water. Flowers are small, greenish white, in clusters where leaf meets stem. Fruits are rounded capsules, green and fleshy at first, turning brown upon drying, about 1/3 inch wide, containing three grayish seeds.
Habitat/Ecology:
Occurs in coastal dune, tropical hammocks, and mangrove forests. Requires considerable light; may reach seed producing maturity within a year. Flowers most often in July, but has been reported flowering year-round. Fruits mature in September, with seeds able to retain viability in soil for several years. Displaces native vegetation, forming a thick mat of entangled stems up to several feet deep.
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