Lantana montevidensis (Spreng.) Briq., Verbenaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 16 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Lantana sellowiana Link & Otto

Common name(s): [more details]

English: creeping lantana, purple lantana, small lantana, trailing lantana, weeping lantana, wild verbena

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Suffrutescent herb or low, lax, scrambling, or sometimes climbing shrub with weak stems, often trailing or vinelike and mat-forming, often rooting at nodes, unarmed, more or less strigose or hirsute; leaves decussate, opposite or ternate, the petioles usually about 4 mm long, the blades variable in size and shape, resinous-punctate on both surfaces, ovate to subrhomboid-oblong to lanceolate, mostly (0.6-) 1.2-3.5 x (0.3-) 0.8-1.6 cm, cuneate to attenuate at base, subacute to obtuse at apex, coarsely toothed at margin, generally rugose and scabrous above, strigose on nerves or more densely pubescent beneath; inflorescences initially capitate and hemisperic, 2.5 cm or more broad, elongating and oblong in fruit, slender-pedunculate, the bracteoles ciliate, resinous-punctate, the outer ones broadly ovate to ovate-oblong, acuminate; flowers sessile, the calyx about 2 mm long, obscurely 4- or 5-dentate, subvillose-pubescent; corolla infundibular, slightly irregular, pinkish to rose or purple, the tube slender, about twice as long as subtending bracteoles, 8-12 mm long, subvillose-pubescent, the limb spreading, 5-8 mm broad, 4- or 5-lobed; drupes dark violet, globose, about 4 mm long and broad, fleshy, half enclosed by calyx, the endocarp woody, 2-loculed, splitting septicidally into 2 pyrenes, the seeds dorsally incrassate"  (Smith, 1991; pp. 173-174).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "commonly cultivated and apparently naturalized at least around Lāna‘i City and nearby pineapple fields" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1320). In New Caledonia, "spontané et assez commun aux environs de Nouméa; rarement cultivé et non vu ailleurs" (MacKee, 1994; p. 139).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Native to southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina, now cultivated nearly worldwide and naturalized in many tropical and subtropical areas" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1320).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 173-174) Voucher cited: DA 16893
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 173-174) Vouchers cited: DA 12301, DA 16477
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 295) Voucher cited: Fosberg 60896
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 295) Voucher cited: Florence 3496
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 3496 (PAP) Cultivée. Ornementale rare.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 295) Voucher cited: Florence 2656
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 2656 (PAP) Ornementale peu commune à Tahiti.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tetiaroa Atoll	introduced cultivated	Sachet, M.-H./Fosberg, F. R. (1983) (p. 65)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 236)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 55) Voucher cited: T. Flynn & D. Lorence 3132 (PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1320) Voucher cited: K. Nagata 3497 (BISH, HLA)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 383) Spontanée et assez commune aux environs de Nouméa.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 139) Vouchers cited: Germain s.n., Grunow s.n., Franc 502, A. Heim 230 (Z), MacKee 4053, MacKee 20312, Suprin 2018
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago	introduced cultivated	Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 473) Useful for covering rocky ground.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Orapa, Warea (2005) Gizo and Kirakira
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 38)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) "Weed of wasteland, frequently in rocky sites; chiefly in coastal districts north from Sydney." Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 4)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 231)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 1275) "North-facing cliffs".
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 53) Cultivated only

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Lantana montevidensis, please let us know.