Lantana camara (wild-sage)

Japanese name: ランタナ
Scientific name: Lantana camara

[Overview]
A semi-climbing evergreen shrub 1–2 m tall.
It is deciduous in cold regions.
The plant branches freely.
The branches have ridges, and small downward-pointing thorns grow on the ridges of the stems and branches.
The leaves are simple and opposite, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 2–12 cm long.
The leaf surface is much wrinkled and covered with coarse hairs, and the veins on the underside have short hairs.
The leaf margin is toothed.
Head-like inflorescences about 3 cm across emerge from the leaf axils and bear dense flowers.
The inflorescence has a stalk 2–8 cm long.
The flowers are 1 cm long and 6–8 mm across, with a corolla tip divided into 4–5 lobes; the color changes from yellow to orange and later to red or pale pink, so even within one inflorescence the outer and inner flowers differ in color.
The flowers open from the outside of the inflorescence.
The fruit is a spherical berry 3 mm across, ripening purple to black.
Unripe fruit is poisonous.

[Uses]
The young branches, flowers and roots are used medicinally, but there are reports that touching the leaves causes a rash in some people.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It is not particular about soil as long as the site is sunny and well drained.
In poor sunlight it flowers poorly.
It is somewhat susceptible to cold, so avoid cold winter winds and frost.
For potted plants, from spring to autumn water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and keep on the dry side in winter.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient once the plant is established.
Too much fertilizer makes the plant grow too dense, so apply only a small amount of slow-release fertilizer twice, in spring and autumn.
Fruiting tires the plant, so remove spent flowers promptly after flowering.
If the plant becomes too dense or looks untidy after losing its leaves in winter, cut it back short to the base and reshape it.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

[Notes]
The Japanese name comes from the changing color of the flowers.

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