A villain called "Lantana camara".

Lanta

Background

I have known about this invasive plant species and actively advised my team at Hansen Drives Ltd. (A factory that I worked to establish in Coimbatore in 2007-10) against planting this as a shrub along the pathway. My "Blog Guru",  Srinidhi uncle once posted a picture of Lanta flowers (grown in his terrace garden) and sent it to me (He is passionate about many things like Golf, Photography, travel and blogging, just for starts). I immediately pointed out to him that it is harming the eco system a lot.

I got an opportunity to be a part of the WMG group's (WMG Group) CSR wing (WMG foundation) to be involved in the launch of "Namma Vana - ನಮ್ಮ ವನ) a program to reclaim the forest floor from the clutches of "Lantana Camara" at Bandipur Tiger reserve forest.

Many of us don't know about this "Handsome looking Villain in our midst". That made me write about the "Villain - Mr. Lantana Camara".

Lantana Camara

You would have seen this common beautiful flowering plant as you are driving through a forest, or walking through a landscaped garden with nicely groomed and profusely flowering plant with varied coloured flowers.

Lantana is a highly invasive shrub native to tropical and subtropical America, introduced into India in the early 19th century as an ornamental plant (Perhaps by the Britishers). Over the past two centuries, it has evolved into a major pest, causing ecological, economic, and biodiversity loss in Indian forests due to its rapid spread, aggressive competition, and resistance to control measures.

Introduction and Spread in India

Lantana camara first arrived in India around 1807–1809, brought as an ornamental plant to botanical gardens in Calcutta and possibly in Coorg. By the early 20th century, it spread from confined hedges to pastures, fallows, and forests, quickly becoming widespread due to prolific seed production (mainly dispersed by birds), strong root systems, and adaptability to various habitats.

From Ornamental to Pest

Originally valued for its bright flowers, Lantana camara's biological traits—such as allelopathy (release of chemicals inhibiting local plants), fire tolerance, and vegetative reproduction—allowed it to outcompete native flora. It established dense thickets that suppressed the growth of indigenous plants, altered landscapes, and diminished ecosystem services, thus shifting from an ornamental species to a problematic weed.

Becoming a Menace

Lantana camara became a menace in Indian forests due to several factors:

• Aggressive competition: It rapidly displaced native shrubs and grass, reducing forage for livestock and wildlife, and contributing to human-wildlife conflict.

• Altered forest ecology: The dense thickets increased fire risk, hampered wildlife movement, and reduced plant species richness and carbon storage.

• Wide adaptation: Its tolerance of various climatic conditions allowed it to invade dry, moist, and even degraded forest lands, aided further by anthropogenic activities like deforestation and overgrazing.

It has become so menacing that small animals like hares, mongoose, small birds and big animals like Elephants or Tigers are also affected by this growth which is rapidly occupying the forest floor and climbing trees, choking them. 

Timeline of becoming uncontrolled weed

Lantana camara started forming uncontrolled, dense thickets after the 1920s, with major invasions documented in pastures and forests by the mid-20th century. In recent decades, it has expanded rapidly due to disturbance in forest ecosystems, reaching epidemic proportions by the 1990s and 2000s. 

Strangely COVID played a role too. Just before COVID, there were forest fires in some forest tracts in Karnataka and that destroyed the natural species and got replaced by Lantana rapidly, which could not be controlled through physical removal as COVID paralysed the forest department staff, as it did many parts of the society.

Affected Forest Ranges

Nearly all major forest types in India are affected, with particularly severe infestation in:

• Shivalik Hills (Uttarakhand/Haryana)

• Central India (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh)

• Southern Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu)

• Tiger reserve ranges and national parks: Dudhwa, Corbett, Rajaji, Bandipur

• Aravali ranges of Haryana, especially Gurgaon and Faridabad.

The species occupies vast areas—about 40% of India's tiger habitat and almost 39% of the total forest area (approx. 300,000 sq.km).

Remedial Actions

Control and management of Lantana camara include:

Mechanical removal: Manual uprooting, cutting, and burning, though only partially effective due to plant resilience.

Cut Root-Stock (CRS) method: Gaining prominence as a more effective eradication technique.

Chemical control: Use of herbicides and painting cut ends with 2,4-D (a weedicide) though limited by ecological concerns and potential side effects on other plants.

Biological control: Attempts to use insects such as lantana bugs, seed flies, and lace bugs to reduce spread.

Utilization initiatives: Trials to use lantana stalks for furniture making, charcoal, fencing, and aromatic oils—though not yet widely adopted. A classic example of this can be found at the Kempegowda International Airport, where they have exhibits of Elephants made out of Lantana stems and roots.

Furniture made out of Lantana

Community and policy measures: Annual removal plans, restoration protocols, reforestation, and environmental monitoring in protected areas across several states, especially Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh.

Flagging off of the initiative by WMG foundation at Bandipura Tiger reserve forest.

Despite these efforts, complete eradication remains a challenge, and ongoing research focuses on restoration and sustainable management of infested lands.

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In summary

Lantana camara is a persistent invasive species in India, now posing significant ecological challenges to forest ecosystems, biodiversity, and wildlife. Its control requires an integrated, sustained approach combining mechanical, chemical, biological, and policy-level interventions.

Be aware and act, if you are growing this in your garden or if it is around you.

A short video of the "Namma Vana" Lantana removal program launch