Pineland lantana

Pineland Lantana (Lantana depressa) is a woody shrub native to the Florida pine rocklands. Low maintenance and drought hearty this species of lantana is slow growing and fairly mellow.

Most species sold currently are not pure Pineland lantana but rather hybrids. As more and more non-native forms of lantana pour into Florida, the gene pool for this species has become overwhelmed. Also, the pine rocklands to which this plant is endemic need to periodically renewed by fire which burns back old growth and clears invasive and plants that are not fire-hearty. Years of fire control and suppression currently threaten this and many other Florida native plant species and research is being conducted on how to best introduce controlled burns to the native habitats where a regular burn cycle is necessary.

Several varieties of lantana depressa can be found and flowers range in color from a creamy butter yellow to bright yellow. Various varieties can grow anywhere from 1 to five feet in height. The flowers on this particular lantana are a lovely buttery yellow and bloom in small clusters and the plants at MOSI are the more prostrate, creeping variety. This lantana is a nectar plant for many small and mid-sized butterflies and is especially beloved of skippers.