Lantana (\(Lantana\ camara\)) is a favored, heat-tolerant flowering plant cultivated as a vibrant annual or a perennial shrub. It is celebrated for its dense, clustered blooms, which appear continuously from spring until the first frost in cooler climates. These clustered inflorescences attract a diverse range of pollinators, including butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Its ability to thrive in full sun and high temperatures makes it a popular choice for resilient, colorful additions to landscapes.
The Primary Color Groups of Lantana
Lantana cultivars are primarily categorized by their brilliant and often complex color combinations, offering a wide palette for garden design. These groupings include varieties with intricate, blended hues within a single flower cluster.
The Sunset Hues (Reds, Oranges, and Golds)
The warmest varieties capture the intense colors of a sunset, often featuring a blend of red, orange, and gold within the same bloom head. Varieties like ‘Luscious® Citrus Blend’ display a vibrant mix of yellow and deep orange, creating a tropical look. ‘Lucky Red’ presents a tight cluster of orange-red florets that intensify in color as they mature. These warm-toned plants are typically vigorous growers and are effective in attracting hummingbirds.
Bright Monochromes (Yellows and Whites)
Cultivars in this group offer flowers in solid shades of yellow or white for a clean, high-impact look. ‘Luscious® Royale Lemon Tart’ is prized for its rich, lemony-yellow blooms, which remain consistent throughout the flowering cycle. White varieties, such as ‘Luscious® Royale Piña Colada,’ feature crisp white florets often with a subtle hint of pale yellow in the center. These monochromatic types tend to have a more compact and mounding growth habit compared to multi-hued varieties.
Cool Tones (Pinks and Purples)
The cool-toned lantanas introduce softer, deeper shades, contrasting with the fiery colors. Varieties like ‘Luscious® Pinkberry Blend’ showcase appealing tones of pink, creamy white, and pale yellow, often blending into a multi-colored puff. Purple varieties, which commonly belong to the \(Lantana\ montevidensis\) species, feature rich lavender-purple flowers. These cooler shades are frequently used in hanging baskets or as edging for garden beds.
The Process of Color Transformation in Lantana
A unique characteristic of many lantana varieties is the physiological process of color change that occurs within individual florets. This shift serves as a signal to visiting insects, helping the plant conserve energy and guiding pollinators toward the most rewarding flowers.
The initial, younger flowers contain the highest concentration of nectar and are typically a bright color like yellow or white. This bright signal advertises a reward to butterflies and other foraging insects. Immediately following successful pollination, or as the flower ages, a chemical change is initiated within the petals.
This color change is driven by a shift in pigment composition. The initial yellow color comes primarily from carotenoid pigments. After pollination, the floret begins to synthesize water-soluble pigments called anthocyanins. The increasing concentration of these anthocyanins causes the color to deepen, shifting the flower from yellow to orange, pink, or deep red. Pollinators learn to associate these darker colors with depleted nectar reserves.
By maintaining the older flowers in a different color, the plant creates a large, multi-colored advertisement, sometimes called the “billboard effect,” which is visible from a distance. The contrast between the bright, rewarding flowers and the darker ones directs the pollinator’s attention to the specific florets that still require visitation. This mechanism increases the plant’s reproductive efficiency.
Growth Habits and Varietal Distinctions
Beyond the diverse flower colors, lantana varieties are distinguished by their physical structure and growth pattern, which determines their best use in a landscape. The two primary forms are the upright shrub and the trailing groundcover.
The \(Lantana\ camara\) species typically exhibits an upright or mounding habit, forming a dense, shrub-like structure that can reach up to six feet tall in perennial zones. Varieties such as the Bandana® and Luscious® series are excellent choices for garden beds, borders, and stand-alone containers, providing bushy texture and height.
The alternative form is the trailing or weeping variety, most commonly found in \(Lantana\ montevidensis\). This species has a low, sprawling growth habit, typically reaching only six to eight inches in height but spreading several feet wide. Trailing varieties are suited for use as ground cover, on slopes for erosion control, or cascading from hanging baskets and window boxes.
Size distinctions also exist, ranging from dwarf cultivars ideal for small containers, to vigorous types that quickly fill large spaces. Some varieties, like ‘Skittles,’ feature variegated foliage edged in white, adding visual interest even when the plant is not in bloom. The foliage of nearly all lantana has a rough, toothed texture and releases a distinctive, often citrusy scent when crushed.