What is "ballota"

Ballota (horehound) is a genus of flowering evergreen perennial plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. native to temperate regions. The Mediterranean region has the highest diversity in the genus, with more isolated locations in South Africa, Central Asia, northern Europe, and the islands of the eastern North Atlantic. 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. Some of its species had previously been placed in Marrubium.

Ballota species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera including Coleophora case-bearers: C. ballotella, C. lineolea (which has been recorded on B. nigra) and C. ochripennella.

1. Ballota acetabulosa (L.) Benth. - Greece, Turkey
2. Ballota adenophora Hedge - Saudi Arabia
3. Ballota africana (L.) Benth. -South Africa, Namibia
4. Ballota andreuzziana Pamp. - Libya
5. Ballota antilibanotica Post - Syria, Lebanon
6. Ballota aucheri Boiss. - Iran, Iraq
7. Ballota bullata Pomel. - Algeria, Tunisia
8. Ballota byblensis Semaan & R.M.Haber - Lebanon
9. Ballota cristata P.H.Davis - Antalya region of Turkey
10. Ballota damascena Boiss. - Syria, Egypt
11. Ballota deserti (de Noé) Jury, Rejdali & A.J.K.Griffiths - Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania
12. Ballota glandulosissima Hub.-Mor. & Patzak - Turkey
13. Ballota grisea Pojark. - Caucasus
14. Ballota hirsuta Benth. - Spain, Portugal, Balearic Islands, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Chad; naturalized on Corsica
15. Ballota hispanica (L.) Benth. - Italy, Sicily, Albania, Yugoslavia
16. Ballota inaequidens Hub.-Mor. & Patzak - Antalya region of Turkey
17. Ballota kaiseri Täckh. - Sinai
18. Ballota larendana Boiss. & Heldr. - Turkey
19. Ballota latibracteolata P.H.Davis & Doroszenko - Antalya + Içel regions of Turkey
20. Ballota luteola Velen - Saudi Arabia
21. Ballota macedonica Vandas - Albania, Yugoslavia, Greece
22. Ballota macrodonta Boiss. & Balansa - Nigde region of Turkey
23. Ballota nigra L. - most of Europe; North Africa, Middle East as far east as Iran; naturalized in New Zealand, Argentina, North America
24. Ballota philistaea Bornm. - Israel
25. Ballota platyloma Rech.f. - Iran
26. Ballota pseudodictamnus (L.) Benth. - Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Libya; naturalized in Italy
27. Ballota rotundifolia K.Koch - Erzurum region of Turkey
28. Ballota saxatilis Sieber ex C.Presl - Middle East from Turkey to Saudi Arabia
29. Ballota sechmenii Gemici & Leblebici - Turkey
30. Ballota undulata (Sieber ex Fresen.) Benth. - Middle East from Syria to Saudi Arabia
31. Ballota vellerea Maire, Weiller & Wilczek - Morocco

Ballota is one of nine parishes (administrative divisions) in the Cudillero municipality, within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain.

The population is 305 (INE 2008).