[5][6] It is a very adaptable species, which can inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems; once it has been introduced into a habitat it spreads rapidly; between 45ºN and 45ºS and less than 1,400 metres (4,600 feet) in altitude.

[11] It can also cause problems if it invades agricultural areas as a result of its toxicity to livestock, as well as its ability to form dense thickets which, if left unchecked, can greatly reduce the productivity of farmland[12] by suppressing the pastures (grasses) essential for livestock production and also suppresses crops in cultivated farmlands.

[1] Lantana camara is a perennial, erect sprawling or scandent, shrub which typically grows to around 2 metres (6+1⁄2 feet) tall and form dense thickets in a variety of environments.

[18] There are five major flower colour varieties in Australia:[19] The fruit is a berry-like drupe which turns from green to dark purple when mature.

[4] Other common names include Cariaquillo (Boriken, Puerto Rico), Visepo (Zambia),Spanish flag, big-sage (Malaysia), Putush (West Bengal), Kongini (Kerala), Ghaneri घाणेरी (Maharashtra), wild-sage, red-sage, white-sage (Caribbean), korsu wiri or korsoe wiwiri (Suriname), mũkigĩ (Kenya), tickberry (South Africa), Kashi Kothan (Maldives),[21] West Indian lantana,[22] umbelanterna, and Gu Phool in Assam, and Thirei in Manipur, and Banfada in Nepal.

[24] The native range of Lantana camara is Central and South America; however, it has become naturalised in around 60 tropical and sub-tropical countries worldwide.

[27] L. camara has also spread across the areas of Africa, Southern Europe, such as Spain and Portugal, and also the Middle East, India, tropical Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the US, as well as many Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean islands.

[30][31] Lantanas were brought to Australia as an ornamental garden plant in 1841, which spread and escaped domestic cultivation and became established in the wild within 20 years.

[7] The ability of L. camara to rapidly colonise areas of land which have been disturbed has allowed it to proliferate in countries where activities such as logging, clearance for agriculture and forest fires are common.

L. camara can survive in a wide range of climatic conditions, including drought, different soil types, heat, humidity and salt.

In agricultural areas or secondary forests it can become the dominant understorey shrub, crowding out other native species and reducing biodiversity.

There are also secondary impacts, including the finding that in Africa, mosquitos which transmit malaria and tsetse flies shelter within the bushes of L. camara.

Maintaining functioning (healthy) ecosystems is key to preventing invasive species from establishing themselves and out-competing native fauna and flora.

[48][49] The active substances causing toxicity in grazing animals are pentacyclic triterpenoids called Lantadenes, which result in liver damage and photosensitivity.

[50] L. camara also excretes allelopathic chemicals, which reduce the growth of surrounding plants by inhibiting germination and root elongation.

[4][58] L. camara has also been used in traditional herbal medicines for treating a variety of ailments, including cancer, skin itches, leprosy, chicken pox, measles, asthma and ulcers.

[59] Lantana camara has been grown specifically for use as an ornamental plant since Dutch explorers first brought it to Europe from the New World.

[4] Its ability to last for a relatively long time without water, and the fact that it does not have many pests or diseases which affect it, have contributed to it becoming a common ornamental plant.