Invasiveness Assessment - Lantana (Lantana camara) in Victoria
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Plant invasiveness is determined by evaluating a plant’s biological and ecological characteristics against criteria that encompass establishment requirements, growth rate and competitive ability, methods of reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms.
| Each characteristic, or criterion, is assessed against a list of intensity ratings. Depending upon information found, a rating of Low, Medium Low, Medium High or High is assigned to that criterion. Where no data is available to answer a criterion, a rating of medium (M) is applied. A description of the invasiveness criteria and intensity ratings used in this process can be viewed here. |
The following table provides information on the invasiveness of Lantana.
A more detailed description of the methodology of the Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method can be viewed below:
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (PDF - 630 KB)
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (DOC - 1 MB)
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Common Name: Lantana
Scientific name: Lantana camara
| Question | Comments | Rating | Confidence |
| Establishment | |||
| Germination requirements? | Activities that increase light intensity and soil temperature will stimulate germination (NHT 2004). Seeds need warm temperatures and sufficient moisture to germinate but with these conditions present can germinate throughout the year, peaking after the first summer rains (Swarbrick, Willson & Hannan-Jones 1998). | MH | MH |
| Establishment requirements? | Thrives in high rainfall areas of tropical, subtropical and warm temperate climates (NHT 2004). Can tolerate partial, but not complete shading and dominates understoreys (Swarbrick, Willson & Hannan-Jones 1998). Can establish in minor disturbed natural ecosystems. | ML | MH |
| How much disturbance is required? | Human disturbances such as clearing, construction and inappropriate burning will stimulate germination (NHT 2004). Serious invader of disturbed ecosystems and persists along roadsides, creeks and other open situations. Infests forest edges, coastal zones and riparian areas, penetrates disturbed rainforest and invades open eucalypt woodland. (Swarbrick, Willson & Hannan-Jones 1998). | MH | MH |
| Growth/Competitive | |||
| Life form? | Much-branched, thicket-forming perennial shrub (Swarbrick, Willson & Hannan-Jones 1998) – Life form other. | L | MH |
| Allelopathic properties? | Excludes other species through allelopathic effects (NHT 2004). Shown to be allelopathic to citrus and may be to many endemic Australian plants (Swarbrick, Willson & Hannan-Jones 1998). | MH | MH |
| Tolerates herb pressure? | The plant is unpalatable and scarcely eaten but is under a biocontrol program in Queensland and New South Wales (Swarbrick, Willson & Hannan-Jones 1998). | MH | MH |
| Normal growth rate? | Mainly an invader of open woodland, however the dense thickets exclude native species through smothering and dominates understoreys (NHT 2004). It often forms mono-specific stands to the exclusion of native herbs, shrubs and tree and climber seedlings (Swarbrick, Willson & Hannan-Jones 1998). | H | MH |
| Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | New shoots are frost sensitive and growth is prevented below 5°C (NHT 2004). Can survive prolonged dry periods but does not tolerate waterlogging. Very low tolerance to soil salinity. Fire as a control measure is insufficient by itself as plant recovers quickly afterwards (Swarbrick, Wilson & Hannan-Jones 1998). Tolerant to at least two and susceptible to at least two. | ML | MH |
| Reproduction | |||
| Reproductive system | Both self and cross pollination are possible. Can spread via layering whereby horizontal stems take root when in contact with moist soil (Swarbrick, Wilson & Hannan-Jones 1998). Also reshoots vigorously from dormant buds at the base stems (NHT 2004). | H | MH |
| Number of propagules produced? | A single plant can produce up to 12000 fruit each year (NHT 2004). | H | M |
| Propagule longevity? | Studies show that 50% of seed will remain viable in dry conditions for up to two years (NHT 2004). Unpublished studies have shown seed viability of four to five years. | L | M |
| Reproductive period? | ‘Very long-lived under favourable conditions…plants tend to die only under extremely stressful conditions such as extended drought or complete shading through canopy closure’ (NHT 2004). Can form self-sustaining mono-specific stands (Swarbrick, Wilson & Hannan-Jones 1998). | H | MH |
| Time to reproductive maturity? | The first flowers are produced in the field during the second summer but in greenhouse studies have been produced six months after germination (Parsons & Cuthbertson 1992). | MH | MH |
| Dispersal | |||
| Number of mechanisms? | Fruit eating birds are the main agents of dispersal (through droppings). Some mammals, especially foxes, also disperse seed (NHT 2004). | H | M |
| How far do they disperse? | Most fruits are dispersed by birds, often locally, but can be to distances of up to 1 km or more (Swarbrick, Willson & Hannan-Jones 1998). | H | MH |
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