Lantana seeds

Asked October 14, 2020, 4:37 PM EDT

I have a lantana plant I want to get seeds from. Some of the berries have turned black & I thought I could get seeds from them. However when I tried, all I got was liquid. What am I doing wrong? Should I have waited longer? How do I know when black berries are ready to harvest the seeds?

District of Columbia

1 Response

Like tomatoes, lantana seed is found within the fleshy fruit. If you didn't find any, we'd wait a little longer for berries to turn black and try again with several. It may be that incomplete pollination could be a factor.
This page from NC State Extension tells more:

You should be aware that the Lantanas we grow are hybrid varieties bred for colors and growth that are different than the original species, and growing from seed will likely not produce a plant like what you have there.
The use of cuttings for propagation would however.
You could also experiment with bringing the plant indoors for the winter, giving it the brightest light that you can. They can be wintered over this way.