Lantana urticoides ‘Palo Pinto’

The lively and festive flowers of this rugged heat loving plant are superbly effective at drawing in multitudes of butterflies. Called Texas Lantana in this part of the world, it is also known as West Indian Shrub Verbena and occurs over large portions of the Southern US and Mexico. The leaves of Texas Lantana are smaller than Lantana camara, rougher and slightly crinkly. This selection was collected in Palo Pinto County Texas, near Possum Kingdom Lake by plantsman Paul Dowlearn of Wichita Falls. It sports vibrant colored blooms and a growth habit of greater width than height. Gardeners further south of us can keep its size in check by cutting it back hard in spring before growth begins.