Lantana

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Lantana" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Lantana
Wild-type Spanish flag (Lantana camara)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Verbenaceae
Genus:	Lantana L.
Type species
Lantana camara L.[1]

Lantana (/lænˈtɑːnə, -ˈteɪ-/)^[2] is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region, South and Northeastern part of India and Bangladesh. The genus includes both herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) tall. Their common names are shrub verbenas or lantanas. The generic name originated in Late Latin, where it refers to the unrelated Viburnum lantana.^[3]

Lantana's aromatic flower clusters (called umbels) are a mix of red, orange, yellow, or blue and white florets. Other colors exist as new varieties are being selected. The flowers typically change color as they mature, resulting in inflorescences that are two- or three-colored.

"Wild lantanas" are plants of the unrelated genus Abronia, usually called "sand-verbenas".