Lantana camara: Much Maligned Nibble
Ask anyone who has heard of the Lantana camara and they will tell you it is poisonous. And they are right. Unripe berries have killed children and the foliage has killed livestock. But listen to Professor Julia Morton who was the leading expert in Florida on toxic plants.
Multi-colored Lantana camara blossoms
In her book “Plants That Poison People in Florida” she states: “The ripe fruit are eaten by natives wherever the plant grows.” She wrote that in 1995. A 1996 study by Herzog said the same thing (Coppens d’Eeckenbrugge & Libreros Ferla (2000), TAMREC (2000). On the other hand the University of Texas at Austin says the ripe berries are toxic and Delena Tull in her 1999 book about plants in Texas writes: “Though some previous publications assert that the ripe fruit is edible, experimental studies show that both ripe and unripe fruit are potentially lethal.”
So there you have it. Two views of the Lantana camara. I’ve eaten ripe berries as a trail side nibble and I am still here. They are very sweet, crunchy and slightly aromatic. I have not made a pie nor have I consumed more than a handful at a time but they have posed no problem thus far. However, they can make you more light sensitive so it is a berry best tried one at a time until you know you are not effected by it.
Ripe Lantana camara berries
Just so there is not confusion. Ripe means deep blue or black berries. Not green or partially green. There is no doubt that green Lantana camara berries have killed children and sickened adults. Conversely, a mild tea made from the leaf is still used in the Caribbean Islands to ease cold symptoms. The ripe berries are used to make jam, jellies, pies and cordials in Ecuador.
Lantana camara (lan-TAY-na ca-MAR-ah) has had a bit of linguistic history. Virgil (70-19 BC) called a plant lenta viburna, or flexible viburnum, now called V. lantana. It was used by Linnaeus for the genus name for these plants. Camara is a local South American name for the plant. Lantana grows from North Carolina west to California and points south.
Introduce from South American, it is listed as one of the worst weeds in the world. Butterflies, however, love it and it is a must-have bush in every butterfly garden. It’s the birds that spread the seeds around. It is also a cousin to the American Beautyberry.
Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile
IDENTIFICATION: A persistent evergreen shrub to 6 ft (1.8 m) high, 8 feet in width. Leaves are 2-5 inches long by 1-2 inches wide with rounded tooth edges and a textured surface. Stems and leaves covered with rough hairs. When leaves are crushed they smell like cat urine. Flowers, small, in clusters typically 1-2 inches across. Flowers year round, color range from white to yellow, orange to red, pink to rose in unlimited combinations. Flowers often change color as they age.
TIME OF YEAR: Fruits can ripen all year but are heavy in the early summer. Fruit when ripe is purple/black.
ENVIRONMENT: Waste places to landscaping to a potted plant. Prefers full sun.
METHOD OF PREPARATION:D ark ripe berries out of hand. They have a flavor similar to a cross between black currants and cherries. They can be used to make jams, jellies, pies, and cordials. The fruits can be used to produce a light purple dye. The leaves can be used to polish wood.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been doing some searching on Lantana and have heard most everyone consider the plant poisonous. The leaves and Green berries are the poisonous parts. Like you mentioned, the ripe berries can be eaten. I read some children in Africa do eat the ripe berries with no problems. I’m glad to read that you have eaten them too with no problems so I will try a little too. I have also read and researched that the plant has many medicinal properties. From what I have read it is antimicrobial, fungicidal, insecticidal and nematicidal properties.
Chis
Chris,
I also am interested in any uses for this plant as it is coming up all around my house in the orange grove where I live. The most amazing article I saved was from the use in the Philipines http://www.stuartxchange.org/Lantana.html
I have also asked a friend of mine to ask his mother about it, she is here visiting from the Philipines, I will let you know.
Linda
Linda,
Update, sorry its been a while. I’m still here, lol, I’ve been eating the berries! still little at a time. But I have also been crushing up fresh leaves and rub it on my bug \ mosquito bites as i work in the yard and it stops the itching! and seems to stop them from bitting me more too. I read that if you dry out the leaves and then burn them it acts as a mosquito repellant. I’m sure this works too when they are still green, just harder to burn. I’m researching now how to make tea for relief of symptoms of rheumatism, indigestion, joint pain, flu, coughs, colds sore throat, fever and possibly tapeworms?
Chris
my lantana flowers smelllike cat urine
OM my yard is overflowing with Lantana and i thought it smelled just like flowering pear…and they are not in bloom at this time of yr. sooooooooooo it’s the Lantana…wish i knew that before i planted so many…i almost have a lawn of lantana!
Both Lantana and purslane are used as landscaping decorum in the area of my job and never knew it was edible; thanks again G.D.
My experience with Lantana has been positive, I love the plant. My wife, from Veracruz, has made tea from the flowers (usually a leaf or two in the mix) that almost instantly quites the menstral cramps and produces a gentle relaxed state . I think it would ( the tea of flowers) substitute for Camomile tea in the evening before bed time. I have collected the seeds and have plants growing in south Texas from all parts of the world.
are all the verities of the plant edible, here in Israel, we got MILLIONS of this plant growing everywhere, i can literally go outside right now and come home with bags of fruit and flowers, but i am afraid that it will make me ill
how can i be sure,
Start with exact identification. A local botanist could do that.
I grew up drinking the the tea for colds, but didn’t know the ripe berries were edible. Thanks, Green Deane!