Photo: Colourful Lantana Picture

This colourful Lantana flower brightens a garden at Oliva Nova on the Costa Blanca in Spain and many tourists stop to take a picture.

The colourful Lantana flowers found in gardens at Oliva Nova on the Costa Blanca in Spain belong to the Verbenaceae or verbena family. There are around 150 species of perennial Lantana and can be found in tropical and semi-tropical areas throughout the world. The Lantana plants can be 18 inches tall, and the shrub type can be as big as 6 feet.

The species usually found in the gardens of Oliva Nova on the Costa Blanca, Spain is Lantana camara otherwise known as Spanish Flag. The fragrant clusters of flowers are called umbels and when seen from a distance seem to be orange, but on closer examination one can see the little blossoms can be red, yellow and white.

As the Lantana flowers grow older the colours change making it an extremely interesting garden flower. ... continue below the picture...

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Unfortunately, on the negative side, some of the Lantana species are quite invasive, and have been placed on the 'World's Worst' invaders list. The Lantana leaves are toxic to most animals, but birds enjoy the berries and distribute the seeds.

Of course, one man's weed is another man's prize bloom and the lovely, colourful Lantana flowers in the Oliva Nova gardens on the Costa Blanca in Spain, are a pleasure to see and capture their picture when in full bloom.

Lantana Flowers, Lantana hybrida, Orange and red Flower in a garden in Oliva Nova, Costa Blanca, Valencia, Spain, Europe.