Lantana Montevidensis
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HORTSCIENCE 54(12):2134–2138. 2019. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI14443-19 and improved pastures, trailing lantana is a restricted invasive prohibited for use by the Queensland Biosecurity Act of 2014 (Day Morphological and Cytological et al., 2003; Johnson, 2007; Munir, 1996; O’Donnell, 2002). In the United States, it has Comparisons of Eight Varieties escaped cultivation in seven states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, of Trailing Lantana (Lantana Hawaii, Louisiana, and Texas [U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture, National Resources montevidensis Conservation Service (USDA, NRCS), 2019]. ) Grown in Florida In Florida, herbarium vouchers document Carlee Steppe and Sandra B. Wilson its escape in 18 counties (Wunderlin et al., Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, Institute of 2019). To date, trailing lantana has not been listed as a Category I or II invasive plant by the Food and Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 110675, Gainesville, FL 32611 Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC, Zhanao Deng and Keri Druffel 2019). However, based on a predictive test, the UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, Institute of Florida’s Natural Areas does not recommend its Food and Agricultural Sciences; and Gulf Coast Research and Education use in northern, central, or southern Florida, Center, 14625 County Road 672, Wimauma, FL 33598 with results concluding that it has high invasion risk (UF/IFAS Assessment, 2019). All culti- Gary W. Knox vars fall under this conclusion unless proven Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, Institute of otherwise and exempted from the ruling. Food and Agricultural Sciences; and North Florida Research and Education Trailing lantana is characterized by hav- Center, 155 Research Road, Quincy, FL 32351 ing a horizontal growth habit, with branches rooting at the nodes. Leaves are opposite, Additional index words. invasive plants, ploidy, pollen stainability, tetraploid, triploid broadly ovate, and strongly aromatic when crushed. Umbel inflorescences, each contain- Abstract Lantana montevidensis . Trailing lantana ( ) is a popular low-growing ornamental ing 30 florets, are borne on long axillary plant valued for its heat and drought tolerance and continuous purple or white flowering peduncles 30 mm in length. If present, throughout much of the year. Recently, trailing lantana was predicted to be invasive by the blackberry-like fruit is drupe, each having University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF-IFAS) Assessment of one seed and up to two embryos. In Australia, Non-Native Plants in Florida, and therefore not recommended for use. All cultivars fall Johnson (2007) reported two forms (culti- under this designation unless proven otherwise. Eight trailing lantana varieties were vated and wild) of trailing lantana differing in obtained from wholesale growers and naturalized populations found in Texas and their ability to produce fruit. The Australian Australia. Plants were propagated vegetatively, finished in 4-inch pots, and planted under weedy variety was described as having pur- field conditions to determine morphological and cytological differences among varieties. ple flowers with white throats, and the orna- Australian trailing lantana differed morphologically from the other varieties in its smaller mental nonweedy variety (cultivated garden habit, leaves (which had serrate-crenate leaf margins, and fewer appressed hairs), heavy form) was described as having either lilac fruiting, and cold sensitivity (observational reduced growth and flowering during winter petals with white to yellow throats, or white months). Nuclear DNA content analysis suggests that Australian trailing lantana is likely a petals with yellow throats. Although the tetraploid and all other varieties evaluated were likely triploids with high levels of sterility. lavender variety is more popular in the trade, Pollen stainability of Australian trailing lantana was moderately high (58.83%), whereas there is a white-flowered form L. montevi- pollen production was rarely observed in all other varieties. Results support that there are densis forma albiflora that was collected two forms of trailing lantana, the U.S. varieties distinguished by their leaf and flower from the wild in Brazil as early as 1944 morphology, ploidy level, and the absence of fruit and viable pollen. (IPNI, 2015; San Marcos Growers, 2019). Similar to the lavender variety, the white form flowers year-round and is drought tolerant and Trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis)is adapted to full sun or part shade in USDA cold a low-growing woody shrub native to tropical hardiness zones 8 to 10 (USDA, 2012). areas of South America. As early as 1825, the Henderson (1969) reported that the two species was described by German botanist Received for publication 1 Aug. 2019. Accepted forms of trailing lantana in Australia also for publication 11 Sept. 2019. Curt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel as Lippia differed dramatically in pollen viability and We gratefully acknowledge funding support from montevidensis. This plant has also been ploidy level/chromosome number. The weedy the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Ag- described as Lippia sellowianaorLantana form had 65% pollen stainability and was a ricultural Marketing Service and Florida Department sellowiana to honor German botanist Frie- tetraploid with 2n =4x = 48 chromosomes, of Agriculture and Consumer Services Specialty drich Sellow (or Sello). Finally, in 1904, it whereas the garden form had extremely low Crop Block Grant Program, Florida Fish and Wild- was reclassified as Lantana montevidensis life Conservation Commission, and Florida Nursery pollen stainability (less than 6%) and was a by the Swiss botanist John Isaac Briquet and triploid with 2n =3x = 36 chromosomes. In and Growers and Landscape Association. The con- this name remains today (International Plant tents of this publication are solely the responsibility India, only the triploid trailing lantana was of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the Names Index, 2015). The genus refers to the noticed (Raghavan and Arora, 1960). official view of the USDA. We thank Mark Kann, original Latin name for Viburnum ‘‘Vibur- Although the introduction of new trailing Chris Harchick, Bart Schutzman, Krishna Bhattarai, num lantana,’’ having a similar inflores- lantana varieties is insignificant compared Julia Rycyna, and Jackson Jablonski for technical cence structure. The specific epithet is with L. camara, there has been some selec- assistance; and Megan Thomas and Adam Black for derived from Montevideo, Uruguay, where tion of the species with named patents plant collection assistance. the plant was first found (Johnson, 2007). (Google Patents, 2019). In 1990, Monrovia This paper is based on a presentation given during Trailing lantana is listed as an invasive Ò the Annual Meeting of the Florida State Horticul- Nursery introduced White Lightnin trailing tural Society, which was held 9–11 June 2018, in exotic in many subtropical ecosystems from lantana (L. montevidensis ‘Monma’) and Orlando, FL. Hawaii and Australia to the southeastern Lavender SwirlÒ trailing lantana (L. monte- C.S. is the corresponding author. E-mail: csteppe@ United States. In Australia, due to its rapid vidensis ‘Monswee’) that are still popular ufl.edu. expansion and colonization of natural lands today. In 2007, Proven Winners released 2134 HORTSCIENCE VOL. 54(12) DECEMBER 2019 Table 1. Varieties of trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis) evaluated for morphological and cytological comparisons. The source of plant material and contact information are shown. Source/variety Contact/company Additional information provided if available American Farms (AF) Justin Orion, American Farms, Unrooted cuttings produced from Dummen’s lavender trailing lantana Naples, FL ORO farm in Guatemala Australia (AUS) trailing Megan Thomas, Queensland Naturalized location in Queensland Australia, lantana Herbarium, Brisbane Botanic Permit USDA APHIS P37-17-01621 Gardens Costa Farms (CF) Purchased through distributer, Costa Farms, Miami, FL lavender trailing lantana Lowe’s, Gainesville, FL Hatchett Creek Farms George Griffith, Hatchett Mother plants obtained 20+ years ago lavender trailing lantana Creek Nurseries, Gainesville, FL (HCTL) Hatchett Creek Farms George Griffith, Hatchett Mother plants obtained 20+ years ago white trailing lantana Creek Farms, Gainesville, FL (HCTW) LusciousÒ grape trailing Jim Putman, New Products ‘Robpwpur’ is a product of a planned breeding lantana Manager, Proven Winners (PW) program developed by plant breeder, Robert J. Roberson. It was discovered in July 2002 as a naturally occurring branch mutation of Lantana montevidensis ‘Alba’. Base of leaf blade is cuneate rather than cordate (trailing purple). Has denser pubescence on lower side of the leaf blade and darker violet main color on the upper side of the flower. Application date: 2007 (Google Patents, 2019) Riverview Farms (RF) purple Rick Brown, Riverview Quality Cuttings, Mexico trailing lantana Farms, Seffner, FL Texas (TX) lavender Adam Black, Peckerwood Collected from a naturalized, abandoned, unmaintained, trailing lantana Garden, Northwest of Houston, TX overgrown area where it has existed in a large patch (12.2 m long · 3.7 m wide) for decades Table 2. Morphological comparison of eight trailing lantana varieties. Texas and Australia plants were obtained from natural populations. All other varieties