List lantane

Lantana camara, also called common lantana, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family. Its native range is Central and South America, and it has become naturalised in around 60 tropical and subtropical countries worldwide. The leaves are broadly ovate, opposite and simple. The shrub typically grows to around 2 metres tall and forms dense thickets in a variety of environments.

The essential oils hydrodistilled from Lantana camara are dominated by sesquiterpenes such as (E)-β-caryophyllene and α-humulene, which were found in all samples of a study from Côte d'Ivoire. Some monoterpenes such as thymol, sabinene and α-pinene were also present. In that study the leaf oil generally had a high portion of sabinene and a low portion of thymol and linalool.

The chemical composition of leaf oils varies strongly from one country to another and sometimes even within different regions. A leaf oil from North India (Dehra Dun) has (E)-β-caryophyllene (23.3%), α-humulene (11.5%), germacrene D (10.9%) and davanone (7.3%) as major compounds. Sixty-two compounds were identified in an oil from fresh mature leaves grown in Bangladesh. Its major constituents include caryophyllene (13.57%), α-caryophyllene (11.76%) and germacrene D (10.88%).

Lantana camara can outcompete native species, which leads to a reduction in biodiversity. It appears on the IUCN's list of the world's 100 worst invasive species. It first spread out of the Americas when Dutch explorers brought it to Europe. The British brought it to India around 200 years ago, where it spread and became invasive. It was the first weed ever subjected to biological control, but none of the programs has been successful despite 36 control agents used across 33 regions.

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