Common Name: Wild Sage

General Information

Lantana camara is a scrambling, thorny, evergreen shrub that can grow up to 2 metres tall and perhaps 2.5 metres wide[]. Some forms of the plant are able to clamber into other plants for support and thus reach greater heights[].
The plant is widely used in domestic medicine. It is commonly cultivated as an ornamental in tropical gardens, where it is also grown as a hedge plant[]. It is a natural pioneer species, establishing in open places and providing a suitable habitat for rainforest trees to become established.

Known Hazards

The leaves and seeds are toxic[].
The unripe, green berries cause vomiting, diarrhoea, dilated pupils and laboured respiration if ingested[].
The leaves may cause dermatitis[].

Botanical References

Range

Northern S. America - Venezuela and Colombia, through Central America to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Habitat

Mainly a weed of plantation crops and pastures, it is found in relatively open and disturbed, not too moist habitats from sea-level to elevations of 1,700 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.80 m
Pollinators	Butterflies, Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows in a wide variety of habitats in the tropical and subtropical zones[]. It has succeeded in areas where the annual rainfall is around 750mm, though is then usually found along creek lines[]. It is also found in tropical areas receiving 3,000mm of rainfall per year, provided that the soils are sufficiently well drained[]. The plant is tolerant of high temperatures, but seldom occurs where temperatures frequently fall below 5°c[]. Some varieties can withstand minor frosts, provided these are infrequent; prolonged freezing temperatures kill aerial woody branches and cause defoliation[].
Succeeds in a wide range of soils[], preferably well-drained[]. Succeeds in poor soils[]. Grows well in dry areas but also present in wetter habitats[]. Grows best in open, unshaded situations, but tolerates moderate shade[, ].
Locally becoming an aggressive and pernicious weed[, ]. This thorny shrub forms dense understorey vegetation that crowds out and inhibits establishment of other species[]. Allelopathic substances are produced by shoots and roots which inhibit germination and growth of other plants[, ]. The plant is apt to form dense thickets, spreads very quickly, with one plant producing as many as 12,000 seeds a year[]. At some sites, infestations have been so persistent that they have completely stalled the regeneration of rainforest for three decades[].
Plants respond well to cutting back, able to resprout even from severe and repeated cutting back[].
The plants can tolerate all but the hottest forest fires, quickly resprouting from the base[].
Stems and leaves emit an unpleasant aroma when crushed[]. The scent is similar to blackcurrants[].

Edible Uses

The aromatic leaves are used to make a tea[].

The ripe black fruits are eaten in handfuls, especially by children as a snack[]. The sweet tasting drupaceous, fleshy, ovoid fruits are purple or black when fully ripe and about 5 mm long[]. Some reports mention the toxicity of the unripe fruits[].

Medicinal

The plant is often used in domestic medicine and research carried out mainly in India has shown it to contain a number of compounds with medicinal activity.
The leaves contain 0.2% of an essential oil[]. Extracts have shown antimicrobial, fungicidal, insecticidal and nematicidal activity[].
The dried flowers contain 0.07% essential oil comprised mainly of caryophyllene-like bicyclic terpene (80%) and l,a-phellandrene (10-12%)[].
The bark contains lantanine, 0.08%[].
Verbascoside, which possesses antimicrobial, immunosuppressive and antitumor activities, has been isolated from the plant[].
Lantanoside, linaroside and camarinic acid have been isolated and are being investigated as potential nematocides[].

Lantana essential oil is sometimes used for the treatment of skin itches, as an antiseptic for wounds, and externally for leprosy and scabies[, ]. It is applied as a poultice on rheumatic joints[].

The root is sweet and bitter tasting, refrigerant, antifebrile[]. A decoction is used to treat influenza, cough, mumps, incessant high fever, malaria, cervical lymph node tuberculosis, asthma, toothache, headache, inflammation, gonorrhoea and leucorrhoea[, ].

The flowers are sweet tasting, mildly cooling and haemostatic[]. A decoction of the dried flowers is used in the treatment of haemoptysis and pulmonary tuberculosis[].

The leaves are aromatic with a minty taste, they have a cooling nature, are antiphlogistic, anti-dermatosic, diaphoretic, febrifuge, pectoral, stimulant, tonic and vulnerary[, , , ]. An infusion of the leaves and flowering tops is used in the treatment of fevers, constipation, tuberculosis, catarrh and bronchitis[, , ]. Combined with the leaves of Cymbopogon citratus, they are used as an infusion to treat colds, high blood pressure and malarial fever[].
Externally, the leaves and stems are used as a wash to treat dermatitis, eczema, pruritus, measles and chickenpox rashes etc[, ]. They are applied as a poultice to treat sprains, wounds and contusions[]. As a douche, they are used to treat inflammations of the uterus[].

A decoction of the bark is used as a treatment for fevers[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Lantana camara is a natural pioneer species. It is a common shrub that invades open ground in Amazonia, often being found in abandoned pasture where it grows quickly and provides suitable conditions for the establishment of other rainforest trees and shrubs[].
The plant has an extensive root system and is often planted for erosion control[].
The plant responds well to trimming and is often grown as a hedge[, , ].
The plant is traditionally grown in living fences in the northwestern Himalayas, where it helps to exclude livestock and other animals; mark out land boundaries; whilst also providing a range of medicinal and other uses[].
The plant provides an abundance of organic matter which can be used as mulch material[].

Other Uses

The use of lantana extracts as potential biocides has been suggested. For example, aqueous leachate at 1 - 3% can kill water hyacinth, a troublesome weed in many tropical countries[]. Its application as a herbicide would depend on the size of the waterbodies being treated and the cost of extraction of the leachate[].

The stems of lantana, if treated by the sulphate process, can be used to produce pulp for paper suitable for writing and printing[]. However it is hard to harvest, so is likely to be uneconomical[].

The roots of lantana contain a substance that may possibly be used for rubber manufacture, although the economic viability of production has not been examined[].

The plant is utilized as firewood. The twigs and stems serve as useful fuel for cooking and heating in many developing countries, although it is less important than other fuel sources such as windrows, woodlots or natural bush[].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings

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