Lantana Redux
As in most of life, things aren't always so simple; there's nuance involved. So it is with lantana and invasives.
Turns out the lantana I grew up with, the one with yellow/pink blossoms, is lantana camara, a non-native species. It's actually considered invasive in parts of Texas. It's not a top tier invasive, and I've never seen it mentioned in the city and state publications I've read that warn about invasives.
Seems it can form dense thickets in wild and riparian spaces, pushing out native plants.
So I had to consider what this means for me.
1. The birds brought it in, and it's common throughout the neighborhood. So pulling out mine wouldn't eliminate it from the area.
2. Although I've seen it in lots, yards, and along fences in the neighborhoods I walk, I've never seen it by any of the creeks that flow through here. So at least locally, the birds are not taking it into riparian areas.
3. The birds and pollinators love it, and it can even serve as a larval host plant for several species of moths and butterflies. So it serves the ecosystem and helps the native wildlife. Much more helpful to local wildlife that a plain lawn.
4. I don't water or feed it; it's not getting nutrients better used elsewhere.
[Picture: native Texas lantana urticoides]
So I won't pull it out, but I will change the way I manage it. All lantana is somewhat allelopathic, which means parts of the plants put out chemicals that inhibit competing plants. I may have seen this with a stand of primroses that moved in. They were very vigorous for a couple of years, but not so much this last year. They are growing between and among the lantana camara. So I'll try to trim back those lantanas and rake up the leaves.
There is a Texas native lantana, Lantana urticoides, the one with orange/yellow blossoms, just like the web references said. I do have some of that and will try to favor it, maybe water and feed it a bit, spread its seeds.
If I were buying and planting lantana, I'd definitely go with the native. To my eyes, it's more attractive anyway. But my yard is full of what the wildlife bring me, so if they're happy, I'm happy.
