Multicolour Lantana camara

It is observed that lantana camara (family Verbenaceae) , Commonly known as Putus in jharkhand is having multicolour flowers .

When I looked why there is multicolour in this flowers found that
The flowers on each cluster open in a pattern, beginning in the center and moving out toward the edge. Lantana flower buds typically look one color when they’re closed, then open to reveal another color underneath. Later, “the flowers change color as they age.”

I and @manmasih were discussing about this plant because of it’s multicolour flowers but Manisha told more intresting things told about lantana camara.

The genus Lantana, as described by Linnaeus in 1753 in Species . Lantana is mostly native to subtropical and tropical America, but a few taxa are indigenous to tropical Asia and Africa.

Good butterfly diversity can be found around Lantana flowers as this species is mostly pollinated by butterflies. Fruits are delicacy for many birds. It is thus useful as a honey plant and used for butterfly gardening.

Roots of Lantana are rich source of oleanolic acid which shows anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-tumour, anti-oxidant, and anti-hyperlipidemic activity . Uses of Lantana extract as herbal medicine are known in the folk medicine (Sastri, 1962; Kirtikar & Basu, 2000; Ghisalberti, 2000) for the treatment of chicken pox, measles, asthma, skin itches, antiseptic for wounds, and externally in leprosy.

Lantana was initially brought to India in 1807 as an ornamental plant at the National Botanical Garden (Kohli et al., 2006), and as an ornamental hedge plant in Calcutta in the early nineteenth century (Hakimuddin, 1929). But later this plant has spread out across all open areas along road sides, railway tracks, edges of crop fields and open forests all over the country.

Lantana has several characters that invites fire (Hiremath & Sundaram, 2005). It re-sprouts readily on being burnt (Pereira, 1919; Hakimuddin, 1929). The fire has favourable effect on the growth of Lantana. This not only increases coppicing potential of the species but also breaks the dormancy of the seeds and helps in massive new growth. Lantana affected with fire regenerate more vigorously than coìntrol (Joshi, 2002).

2019-07-10T18:30:00Z

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Reason behind different colors of lantana camara

Lantana camara flowers undergo colour change subsequent to anthesis. In the colour variant selected for the present study, pink buds, yellow newly-opened flowers and ageing orange, scarlet and magenta flowers are found in the same inflorescence. The flower pigments were chemically analysed and identified as delphinidin monoglucoside and β-carotene.

Thrips are regular pollinators of Lantana under Delhi conditions. Pollination was identified as the trigger for rapid anthocyanin synthesis. Even the presence of one pollen grain on the stigma of a yellow flower was sufficient to cause colour change. Injection of a suspension of pollen into flowers opened in vitro caused pigment changes. An extract of Lantana pollen was also able to simulate the effect of pollination, suggesting the involvement of a pollen factor. The post-pollination shift in petal colouration is caused by the masking of carotenoids by differential amounts of anthocyanin. As thrips are attracted to only yellow flowers, chromatic changes play a role in conserving pollinator energy.

Reference

Indian scientist Geeta Mathur have worked on it
Journal: journal of experimental botany
Year:1984

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It means pollution factor is responsible for the colour variation in Lantana flowers @bivasnag .

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Not pollution it is pollination @Rechel_tirkey

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Sorry it was auto corrected by phone @bivasnag I understood that multicolour flowers are blooming because of pollination.

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Are there butterflies around the lantana that you located in Ranchi? @Rechel_tirkey.
Many in Rajasthan groups are interested in lantana for starting Butterfly Garden …!

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Here in Ranchi , lantana flowers are blooming in many different colours like bright yellow, orange , pink etc , and often seen butterflies around flowers. So I think , lantana can be use for butterfly garden . @Arunan

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Interesting paper I found while reading on lantana camara and butterfly interaction the paper title read
Lantana camara AND BUTTERFLY ABUNDANCE IN AN URBAN LANDSCAPE: BENEFITS FOR CONSERVATION OR SPECIES INVASION?

Work done in India (University of Calcutta)
Journal name- Ekologia Bratislava · December 2015
Working field area- Kolkata

Urban landscapes host a range of diverse plants that, in turn, facilitate maintenance of different
species of pollinators, including butterflies. In this context, the importance of Lantana camara,
an invasive plant species, was assessed highlighting its role in maintenance of butterfly diversity, using Kolkata, India as a study area. Initial study revealed consistent presence of L. camara in both urban and rural sites with at least 25 different butterfly species association. The proportional relative load and the preferences of butterfly species for the each plant species were inclined towards L. camara. Irrespective of the sites, the diurnal and seasonal variations in the butterfly species abundance varied with the flowering pattern of L. camara. A positive correlation of different butterfly species with the flowering time and number of L. camara was for all the sites. The segregation of the L. camara associated butterfly species was made following discriminant function analysis using the extent of flower density of L. camara as explanatory variable. Despite being an invasive Species, it is apparent that L. camara can be a prospective host plant that facilitates sustenance of butterflies in both urban and rural sites. Thus, existence of L. camara in urban gardens and forests may prove beneficial in sustenance of the butterflies.

2015e_EKOLOGIA (1).pdf (678.6 KB)

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Please post photos of butterflies that visit Lantana in Ranchi to all CUBE groups especially to Jaipur groups who
are interested to start Butterfly Gardens in Jaipur
at NM School, IIS Univ and Rajasthan Univ…
@Rechel_tirkey @bivasnag

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2019-07-30T18:30:00Z

Butterfly also observed in different plants .

2019-07-29T18:30:00Z

Butterfly on the hibiscus flower.

2019-06-30T18:30:00Z

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Are butterflies visiting these plants for nector, or to lay eggs? How to do we know that?

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Gorgeous photos of butterflies and flowers.

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Butterfly that visit the lantana camara in India

Refe Reference
3bc2151d7d0d373649f512a9576582e839dd.pdf (534.9 KB)

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Please try identifying the butterfly after writing the location and the date, time etc.

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Are these photos taken by you? In that case, it will be nice to give the date and location !
If it is from any article , kindly give the link of the reference.

Already given @Arunan

How do I find out?
Please tell me how to locate…

So, if one wants to make a butterfly garden, lantana is a must.

The pictures I shared are clicked by me . I edited the previous posts and added picture taking dates . Location of theses pictures is Ranchi , jharkhand .

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Hello! Even though Lantana attracts a number of butterfly species, it is best to avoid this species if one stays close to forested areas. Lantana is an extremely weedy, exotic invasive plant and can quickly replace native plants (that species other than butterflies may depend on for food). Alternatives could be other native flowering plants.

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