''Ballota'' (horehound) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of flowering

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

perennial plants A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

and subshrubs in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Lamiaceae.

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

regions. The

Mediterranean region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...

has the highest

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

in the genus, with more isolated locations in South Africa, Central Asia, northern Europe, and the islands of the eastern North Atlantic.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> It is found in rocky and waste ground. ''Ballota'' is paraphyletic and will eventually be re-circumscribed. It is closely related to '' Moluccella'' and '' Marrubium''.Anne-Cathrine Scheen, Mika Bendiksby, Olof Ryding, Cecilie Mathiesen, Victor A. Albert, and Charlotte Lindqvist. 2010. "Molecular Phylogenetics, Character Evolution, and Suprageneric Classification of Lamioideae (Lamiaceae)". ''Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden'' 97(2):191-217. Some of its species had previously been placed in ''Marrubium''. Other species have already been split to '' Pseudodictamnus'' ''Ballota'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some Lepidoptera including ''

Coleophora ''Coleophora'' is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Many authors ...

'' case-bearers: ''C. ballotella'', ''C. lineolea'' (which has been recorded on ''B. nigra'') and ''C. ochripennella''. ;Species * '' Ballota adenophora'' Hedge - Saudi Arabia * '' Ballota andreuzziana'' Pamp. - Libya * '' Ballota antalyensis'' Tezcan & H.Duman - Turkey * '' Ballota antilibanotica'' Post - Syria, Lebanon * '' Ballota byblensis'' Semaan & R.M.Haber - Lebanon * '' Ballota cristata'' P.H.Davis - Antalya region of Turkey * '' Ballota glandulosissima'' Hub.-Mor. & Patzak - Turkey * '' Ballota grisea'' Pojark. - Caucasus * '' Ballota kaiseri'' Täckh. - Sinai * '' Ballota larendana'' Boiss. & Heldr. - Turkey * '' Ballota luteola'' Velen - Saudi Arabia * '' Ballota macrodonta'' Boiss. & Balansa - Nigde region of Turkey * '' Ballota nigra'' L. - most of Europe; North Africa, Middle East as far east as Iran; naturalized in New Zealand, Argentina, North America * '' Ballota philistaea'' Bornm. - Israel * '' Ballota platyloma'' Rech.f. - Iran * '' Ballota saxatilis'' Sieber ex C.Presl - Middle East from Turkey to Saudi Arabia * '' Ballota sechmenii'' Gemici & Leblebici - Turkey * '' Ballota vellerea'' Maire, Weiller & Wilczek - Morocco

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q158853 Lamiaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Mediterranean Basin