Volume 24, Issue 74, July - December, 2023

The exotic perennial invasive weed, Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae), a potential source of nectar for butterflies

Solomon Raju AJ^1♦, Venkata Ramana K¹, Prasada Rao CH²

¹Department of Environmental Sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530 003, Andhra Pradesh, India
²Department of Botany, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530 003, Andhra Pradesh, India

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Environmental Sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530 003, Andhra Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT

The exotic invasive weed, Lantana camara, has two natural varieties, yellow and white, in the study area. The two varieties bloom simultaneously, seasonally or year-long, depending on the availability of soil moisture. In both varieties, the aggregated flat-topped flowers display color changes in the corolla and remain in place for several days. Still nectar is available only in day one flower, while older flowers lack nectar and enhance the attraction of flowers to the intended flower foragers. Various butterflies visit flowers during the daytime and collect nectar only from day one flowers. The study indicated that this weed is a potential and critical source of nectar for butterflies in all areas of its distribution.

Keywords: Invasive weed, yellow variety, white variety, corolla color shift, butterflies.

Species, 2023, 24(74), e87s1601

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v24i74.e87s1601

Published: 18 November 2023