Common Lantana

Lantana camara or the Common Lantana is an invasive species in Sri Lanka after it escaped from the royal botanical gardens in 1926. It originated from the american tropics but has been introduced in Asia through garden cultivation. If unchecked it can out-compete other species and cause a reduction of biodiversity in an area. On the other hand it has shown to have fungicidal, antimicrobial and insecticidal properties and have in herbal medicine been used against a variety of diseases and illnesses. Flowers are a circular bouquet of smaller pink flowers and a yellow inner layer. Diameter of bouquet is around 30 mm.