![]() The Shrub has an amazing speed of spreading and it can also grow very rapidly. For this very reason, it has become a serious danger and it costs India many rupees in damage. The 'Lantana Shrub' resembles a variety of 'C. Camara'. It is occasionally considered that this variety can be very much useful in giving shelter to the young Sandalwood Shrubs. You can find this Shrub in all over the India abundantly, especially along the riverbanks of Bengal. It is a tedious and pointed shrub. The Shrub originated from the tropical America and it is said that, it has been brought to India from Australia by a planter. The Shrub contains a strong smell of black currants. The smell is more evident when you touch the plant or trouble it. The branches are square in shape and pale green in colour. Sometimes they are hairy and sometimes they are armed with curvy spikes. The leaves of the 'Lantana Shrub' are also hairy. However, in this case the hairs remain hidden. If anyone attempts to stroke one leave "against the pile", then it will immediately reveal the power and compactness of the little spikes. The leaves usually grow in pairs and their colour is bright clear green. Each of the pairs remains almost crosswise to the next. They are oval in shape and have the ability to reach about 7.5 cm. Length. They also have some pointed tips and a round-toothed edge. They are often wavy and underneath the countless veins, they are predominant. On the top, they give the Shrub a wrinkly effect. ![]() The fruit of the Shrub is a berry that is of green or blue-black in colour. The birds admire it very much and hence they spread the seeds widely and largely. They are very much responsible for the wild flower becoming such a menace. Nearly fifty varieties of the 'Lantana Shrub' have been developed. All of the varieties contain the black currant smell as well as the hairy formation of the leaves. However, the flower heads differs in many lovely shades of violets, pinks, yellows and oranges. Amongst the varieties, the 'L. Cloth' of Gold is all a brilliant yellow, the 'L. Delicatissima' has a pale yellow coloured heart that is marked with deeper yellow and also surrounded by a circle of palest pink. Both the varieties of 'L. Alba' and 'L. Nivea' are white in colour and 'L. Sanguinoa' is of deep red colour. Another variety, the 'L. Selloviana' is an irregular dwarf that has pale purple coloured heads of flowers and this variety is more suitable to hang baskets and rockeries. |