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| Lantana Camara |
Wild sage or often called Lantana or a plant called Scientific Lantana Camara is a plant from the Verbenaceae family, which is a thorny and thorny shrub that can grow up to 2 meters high and maybe 2.5 meters wide. Some forms of the Lantana plant are capable of climbing other plants for support and thus reaching higher heights.
This plant is thought to have originated from North America - Venezuela and Colombia, through Central America to Mexico and the Caribbean and is widely used as an ornamental plant in the tropics, where it is also grown as a hedge plant, and is also often used as a Bonsai plant.
CHARACTER OF PLANT LANTANA
Lantana flower grows in a variety of habitats in tropical and subtropical zones, especially weeds of plantation crops and grasslands, found in relatively open and disturbed habitats, not too humid from sea level to an altitude of 1,700 meters. Lantana has been able to live in areas with an annual rainfall of around 750mm, although later it is usually found along river lines and is also found in tropical areas which receive 3,000mm of rainfall per year, provided the soil is sufficiently dry.
Some varieties of Lantana can withstand slight frosts, as long as it occurs infrequently, prolonged freezing temperatures can kill woody branches in the air and cause defoliation. This Lantana shrub forms dense undergrowth that is crammed and so it can inhibit the growth of other species. Allelopathic substances are produced by shoots and roots which cause inhibition of germination and growth of other plants.
BENEFITS AND USE OF PLANT LANTANA
- The leaves contain 0.2% essential oil and the extract has shown antimicrobial, fungicidal, insecticidal and nematicic activity.
- Dried flowers contain 0.07% essential oil consisting mostly of bicyclic terpenes such as caryophyllene (80%) and l, a-phellandrene (10-12%).
- The bark contains lanthanine, 0.08%. Verbascoside, which has antimicrobial, immunosuppressive and anti-tumor activity, has been isolated from plants.
- Lanthanoside, linaroside and camarinic acid have been isolated and are being investigated as potential nematocides.
- Lantana essential oil is sometimes used for the treatment of itching of the skin, as an antiseptic for wounds, and externally for leprosy and scabies. It is applied as a poultice on rheumatic joints.
- The roots taste sweet and bitter, refrigerant, antifebrile, decoction is used to treat influenza, cough, mumps, persistent high fever, malaria, tuberculosis of cervical lymph nodes, asthma, toothache, headache, inflammation, gonorrhea and vaginal discharge.
- The leaves are aromatic with minty flavor, are cooling, antiphlogistic, anti-dermatosic, diaphoretic, febrifuge, pectoral, stimulant, tonic and susceptible.
- Externally, the leaves and stems are used as a wash to treat dermatitis, eczema, pruritus, measles and chickenpox rash etc.
WARNING !!!
Known Dangers
The leaves and seeds are poisonous.
Unripe green berries cause vomiting, diarrhea, dilated pupils and difficulty breathing if swallowed. The leaves can cause dermatitis
AGROFORESTRY USES
- This plant has an extensive root system and is often planted for erosion control.
- Plants respond well to pruning and are often grown as hedges.
- This plant is traditionally grown as a living hedge in the northwest of the Himalayas, where it helps get rid of livestock and other animals, marking the boundaries of the land.
- Plants provide an abundance of organic material that can be used as mulch material.
OTHER USES
- The use of lantana extract as a potential biocide has been suggested. For example, 1 - 3% leachate can kill water hyacinth, a troublesome weed in many tropical countries.
- Lantana stalks, when treated by the sulfate process, can be used to produce a pulp suitable for writing and printing. However, it is difficult to harvest, so it is unlikely to be economical.
- Lantana root contains substances that may be used for rubber production, although the economic viability of production has not been examined.
- The plant is used as firewood. Its branches and stems serve as useful fuel for cooking and heating in many developing countries, although they are less important than other fuel sources such as windmills, timber gardens or natural shrubs.
