Question:
Which one of the following is an invasive plant species in India?
Which one of the following is an invasive plant species in India?
Show Hint
Check which of the four species was introduced to India from another continent and has since spread out of control.
Updated On: Jul 20, 2026
- Lantana camara
- Myristica malabarica
- Terminalia tomentosa
- Santalum album
Show Solution
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Know what "invasive" means.
An invasive species is one that has been brought in from outside its native range (usually by people, deliberately or by accident) and has then spread aggressively in the new region, often out-competing native plants and disrupting local ecosystems.
Step 2: Check the origin of each option.
Lantana camara is native to Central and South America. It was brought to India in the early 1800s as an ornamental garden shrub, escaped cultivation, and is now one of the most widespread and damaging invasive plants across Indian forests, grasslands, and even protected tiger reserves.
Myristica malabarica is a tree native to the Western Ghats of India, related to true nutmeg, and is not invasive; it is in fact a species of conservation concern in its own native habitat.
Terminalia tomentosa (also called Terminalia elliptica, the Indian laurel or asan tree) is a native Indian deciduous tree found widely across Indian forests.
Santalum album, Indian sandalwood, is native to peninsular India and is valued and protected for its fragrant heartwood, not invasive.
Step 3: Confirm why Lantana camara is the answer.
Lantana camara forms dense, thorny thickets that choke out native undergrowth, changes fire regimes, and reduces food availability for native herbivores. It is repeatedly listed by Indian forest and conservation agencies as one of the country's worst invasive alien species.
Final Answer:
Among the four species, only one was introduced from outside India and has since become invasive.
\[ \boxed{Lantana\ camara} \]
An invasive species is one that has been brought in from outside its native range (usually by people, deliberately or by accident) and has then spread aggressively in the new region, often out-competing native plants and disrupting local ecosystems.
Step 2: Check the origin of each option.
Lantana camara is native to Central and South America. It was brought to India in the early 1800s as an ornamental garden shrub, escaped cultivation, and is now one of the most widespread and damaging invasive plants across Indian forests, grasslands, and even protected tiger reserves.
Myristica malabarica is a tree native to the Western Ghats of India, related to true nutmeg, and is not invasive; it is in fact a species of conservation concern in its own native habitat.
Terminalia tomentosa (also called Terminalia elliptica, the Indian laurel or asan tree) is a native Indian deciduous tree found widely across Indian forests.
Santalum album, Indian sandalwood, is native to peninsular India and is valued and protected for its fragrant heartwood, not invasive.
Step 3: Confirm why Lantana camara is the answer.
Lantana camara forms dense, thorny thickets that choke out native undergrowth, changes fire regimes, and reduces food availability for native herbivores. It is repeatedly listed by Indian forest and conservation agencies as one of the country's worst invasive alien species.
Final Answer:
Among the four species, only one was introduced from outside India and has since become invasive.
\[ \boxed{Lantana\ camara} \]
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