Can you please quote any reference for the claim @geetha
1 Like
@bivasnag we published a paper a couple of years ago on how lantana can easily spread in forest landscapes via generalist fruit-eating species (link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/btp.12343). Others have also found lantana to impact native vegetation (e.g. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225039750_Ingress_of_lantana_in_dry_tropical_forest_fragments_Edge_and_shade_effects)
5 Likes
more links: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225035059_Effect_of_Lantana_camara_L_cover_on_local_depletion_of_tree_population_in_the_Vindhyan_tropical_dry_deciduous_forest_of_India). In an older study, we found that over the long-term, grassy understorey of forests can be rapidly replaced by lantana following fires (Long-Term Environmental Correlates of Invasion by Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) in a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest)
3 Likes
What of lantana varieties preferred to be cultivated in public garden including in traffic islands by civil authorities?
Don’t you think many environmentalists make a fetish on many items and public is bound to disregard , hence? @geetha So, how to build credibility!
2 Likes
Very useful warning!
We can regulate in a butterfly garden, but difficult to control invasive species in the wild.
If we want more types of butterflies in the garden, we also need more type of plants.
3 Likes
True, lantana may be preferred over other plants because it grows extremely fast, needs very little care and flowers early in its life cycle as well (also characters that contribute to its weediness) and hence easy to maintain. In urban areas which are cut off from wilderness, this is not a problem. A traffic island, especially, should not cause an issue since birds and butterflies alike may be avoiding areas with vehicular traffic. The problem of unwanted spreading can arise from deliberate planting of lantana close to wild areas and hence, should be avoided.
5 Likes