Ballota
Ballota 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 and C. ochripennella.
;Species
- Ballota acetabulosa Benth. - Greece, Turkey
- Ballota adenophora Hedge - Saudi Arabia
- Ballota africana Benth. -South Africa, Namibia
- Ballota andreuzziana Pamp. - Libya
- Ballota antilibanotica Post - Syria, Lebanon
- Ballota aucheri Boiss. - Iran, Iraq
- Ballota bullata Pomel. - Algeria, Tunisia
- Ballota byblensis Semaan & R.M.Haber - Lebanon
- Ballota cristata P.H.Davis - Antalya region of Turkey
- Ballota damascena Boiss. - Syria, Egypt
- Ballota deserti Jury, Rejdali & A.J.K.Griffiths - Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania
- Ballota glandulosissima Hub.-Mor. & Patzak - Turkey
- Ballota grisea Pojark. - Caucasus
- Ballota hirsuta Benth. - Spain, Portugal, Balearic Islands, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Chad; naturalized on Corsica
- Ballota hispanica Benth. - Italy, Sicily, Albania, Yugoslavia
- Ballota inaequidens Hub.-Mor. & Patzak - Antalya region of Turkey
- Ballota kaiseri Täckh. - Sinai
- Ballota larendana Boiss. & Heldr. - Turkey
- Ballota latibracteolata P.H.Davis & Doroszenko - Antalya + Içel regions of Turkey
- Ballota luteola Velen - Saudi Arabia
- Ballota macedonica Vandas - Albania, Yugoslavia, Greece
- 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 pseudodictamnus Benth. - Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Libya; naturalized in Italy
- Ballota rotundifolia K.Koch - Erzurum region of Turkey
- Ballota saxatilis Sieber ex C.Presl - Middle East from Turkey to Saudi Arabia
- Ballota sechmenii Gemici & Leblebici - Turkey
- Ballota undulata Benth. - Middle East from Syria to Saudi Arabia
- Ballota vellerea Maire, Weiller & Wilczek - Morocco
