Lantana, which is locally known as Kantutay, or scientifically known as Lantana camara, is a hardy and persistent floriferous shrub. It can thrive in a hot and sunny areas, without much cultural concern, almost spreading and growing like weeds. The plant usually grows to a woody shrub almost 2 feet tall. Lantana belongs to the Verbenaceae plant family and is native to the American tropics.
Flowers form in small clusters, which are often comprised of individual flowers that start out one color and mature to another, giving each cluster a multicolored effect. It is like a miniature Santan but with a much brighter and more colorful effect. Some flowers are single color, while others could be two to three color combinations. Butterflies adore the newly opened florets, making Lantana a favorite and a leading plant for any butterfly garden. The plant also emit a peculiar aromatic smell when leaves or branches are crushed, which are used by grandmothers in the Rizal province area to scare children. They tell their children to go home at once when sunset commences and the smell of Lantana is evident, because it’s the time when aswangs comes out and roam.
Lantana is easy to cultivate, almost growing independently and oftentimes widespread like a weed. It thrives in full hot, bright sun. it will benefit from regular watering and fertilization. The plant is usually handled like an annual plant, regularly pruning it each season or year, removing dead branches to produce new shoots with colorful flowers.
Lantana is grown from rooted cuttings and also from seeds. Plants can be easily propagated by rooting 6 inch long stem cuttings in containers filled with moist potting soil. Usually newly rooted cuttings and seedlings are widely available in plant stores during the end of summer. Plants can be grown directly to the ground or planted in horizontally long rectangular pots or in hanging baskets exposed to full sun. Mix a teaspoon of controlled release fertilizer into the potting medium to be used and water regularly. Once established, Lantana needs little care beyond occasional trimmings to make the plant need.
There are numerous hybrids to choose from with floral colors ranging from white, yellow, orange, lavender and red. Most plants have flower clusters with bright multiple colors, which makes this plant group very interesting to grow. Plants can be grown in hanging baskets exposed to full fun to provide a very colorful hanging plants near windows or balconies. There are also some varieties with leaves that are lightly variegated with white, which are often used in large containers. With all the different floral colors this plant has to offer, it is also a very good material for local plant breeders to work on.
In the Philippines, Lantanas are used as corner plants or border plants, usually placed near walls of buildings exposed to bright sun light. They are very tolerant and floriferous plants, almost providing flowers all year round. However, plants needs to be pruned regularly as it can become weedy. Some plants may escape cultivation and can become noxious weeds. The plant is known to be toxic to livestock such as cattle, sheep and horses, and also to dogs and goats. On the brighter side, Lantana leaves has medicinal values such as it possess antimicrobial, antifungal and insectidal properties. It is also used in traditional medicine and is used to treat cancer, skin itchiness, leprosy, chicken pox, measles, asthma and ulcers.
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