Ballota nigra

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Lamiaceae
Subfamilia: Lamioideae
Tribus: Marrubieae
Genus: Ballota
Species: Ballota nigra
Subspecies: B. n. subsp. anatolica – B. n. subsp. anomala – B. n. subsp. foetida – B. n. subsp. kurdica – B. n. subsp. nigra – B. n. subsp. ruderalis – B. n. subsp. sericea – B. n. subsp. velutina
Name

Ballota nigra L., Sp. Pl. 2: 582 (1753).
Synonyms

Homotypic
Marrubium nigrum (L.) Garsault, Fig. Pl. Méd.: t. 365 (1764), opus utiq. oppr.
Ballota foetida Lam., Fl. Franç. 2: 381 (1779), nom. superfl.
Ballota sordida Salisb., Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 83 (1796), nom. superfl.
Stachys ballota Kuntze, Taschen-Fl. Leipzig: 112 (1867). nom. nov.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Regional: Northern Europe
Great Britain, Sweden.
Regional: Middle Europe
Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland.
Regional: Southwestern Europe
Baleares, Corse, France, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain.
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Romania, Sicilia, Turkey-in-Europe, Yugoslavia.
Regional: Eastern Europe
Belarus, Baltic States, Krym, Central European Russia, South European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Ukraine.
Continental: Africa
Regional: Northern Africa
Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia.
Regional: Macaronesia
Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira.
Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Middle Asia
Kirgizstan (introduced)
Regional: Caucasus
North Caucasus, Transcaucasus.
Regional: Western Asia
Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Turkey.
Continental: Australasia
Regional: New Zealand
New Zealand North (introduced).
Continental: Northern America
Regional: Northeastern U.S.A.
New York (introduced).
Regional: Southeastern U.S.A.
Alabama (introduced).
Continental: Southern America
Regional: Southern South America
Argentina Northeast (introduced).

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus II: 582. Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. Ballota nigra in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Aug 31. Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Ballota nigra in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
العربية: دانة سوداء
català: malrubí negre, malroig negre, malrubí pudent, marreu negre, ortiga borda, ortiga pudent
čeština: měrnice černá
Cymraeg: Marddanhadlen ddu
Deutsch: Gewöhnliche Schwarznessel
English: black horehound
español: marrubio fétido, marrubio bastardo, marrubio hediondo, marrubio negro, ballota, ballote negro, balota, balote, manrubio, manrubio bastardo, manrubio fétido, manrubio negro, marrubio, marrubio falso, marrubio negro de El Paular, marrubio negro segoviano, matranzo, ortiga blanca, ortiga borde, ortiga mansa, ortiga muerta, prasio negro
فارسی: بالتا نیگرا
suomi: Valkoporro, porro, Karvanokkonen
français: Ballote, Ballota foetida, Ballote noire
Gaeilge: Grafán dubh
עברית: גלונית מבאישה, בלוטה שחורה
hornjoserbsce: Čorna měrnica
magyar: fekete peszterce
italiano: Marrubio selvatico
norsk bokmål: Hunderot
Nederlands: Stinkende Ballote
polski: mierznica czarna
русский: Белокудренник чёрный
slovenčina: balota čierna
svenska: Bosyska, Bonässla
українська: М'яточник чорний

Ballota nigra, black horehound, is a perennial herb of the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and to central Asia and it can be found throughout Europe. It is also naturalized in Argentina, New Zealand, and the Eastern United States.[1][2][3][4][5] It blooms in the Northern Hemisphere from May to August.

Description

Ballota nigra has a very strong characteristic smell reminiscent of mold or humidity, and can be recognized by its clusters of hairy, reddish-purple flowers. It can grow up to 3 feet in height.
Morphology
Stem and root

It has herbaceous ascending stems, wooden and branched at bottom, covered by down folded hairs. The plant has a taproot system.
Leaves

Leaves are opposite and decussate, and range from oval-lanceolate to heart-shaped, with crenate or dentate border. Leaves, dark green and usually pubescent, measure 3–8 cm per 2–6 cm, and have 1–3 cm petiole. Upper face is wrinkled, with a net-like vein pattern.
Flowers

Flowers are organized in verticillasters, subspherical to about one-sided, with 15 to 30 flowers. Each verticillaster consist of two condensed dichasial cymes at axils of normal leaves.

Flower has an actinomorphic calyx (length 9–10 mm, width 7 mm), made up by five sepals fused together in a tube with five teeths; and a labiate corolla of 12–13 mm, ranging from pink to pale purple to withish. The corolla consist of a tube of about 6 mm and two lips; the upper one slightly concave (like a hood) and externally hairy; the lower one glabrous, with two minor lateral lobes and a major central bifid lobe. There are four didynamous stamens, running parallel under the upper lip, with glabrous filaments and yellow anthers. Ovary is superior, with a single white style and a 2-parted stigma.

Below the calyx there are five filiform bracts, 8 mm long.
Black horehound flowers
Fruit

Each fertilized flower produces a tetrad of black nutlets, cylindrical to ovoid, 2 mm long, partially or fully covered by the calyx. The basal end is flat and attached to the receptacle, while the top end is rounded or pointed.
Biochemistry

Ballota nigra contains diterpenoids like marrubiin, ballonigrin, ballotinone, ballotenol and 7-acetoxymarrubiin. Also, it contains phenylpropanoids.[citation needed]
Taxonomy and etymology

The plant was described by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum (May 1753). The name Ballota comes from the Greek ballo (to reject), because of the strong offensive odor of the plant; cattle will not eat it. The specific name nigra could refer to the black colour of dried leaves.

The common name comes from the Old English words har, meaning "downy or hoary", and hune, meaning the plant itself. This name refers to the hairs that give the herb its distinctive appearance. In modern times, alternative medicine practitioners have referred to the plant as "seed of Horus"[6] and suggested that horehound takes its name from Horus, the Egyptian sun god.
Distribution and habitat

Ballota nigra is a nitrophilous plant; it grows in ruins, fallows, and hedges at elevations up to 1300 m. It prefers loose, calcareous (alkaline) soils. It tolerates temperatures as low as -5°/-10 °C.
Uses

Usually the plant is used dry and harvested when blooming. Syrups can be made from fresh plants.
Subspecies

Recognized subspecies:[1]

Ballota nigra subsp. anatolica P.H.Davis - Iran, Turkey
Ballota nigra subsp. anomala Greuter - Greece
Ballota nigra subsp. foetida (Vis.) Hayek - central + southern Europe; naturalized in Sweden, Ukraine, Cyprus, Turkey, Argentina
Ballota nigra subsp. kurdica P.H.Davis - Iran, Iraq, Turkey
Ballota nigra subsp. nigra - southern Europe, Great Britain, Sweden, Caucasus, Iran, Turkey; naturalized in Belgium, New Zealand, Argentina
Ballota nigra subsp. ruderalis (Sw.) Briq. - Mediterranean region; Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores
Ballota nigra subsp. sericea (Vandas) Patzak - Albania, Macedonia, Greece
Ballota nigra subsp. velutina (Posp.) Patzak - Slovenia, Croatia; naturalized in Argentina

References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Altervista Flora Italiana, Marrubio selvatico, Ballota nigra L. includes distribution maps for Italy, Europe, and North America
Webb, C.J., Sykes, W.R & Garnock-Jones, P.J. (1988). Flora of New Zealand 4: 1-1365. R.E.Owen, Government Printer, Wellington.
Castroviejo, S. & al. (eds.) (2010). Flora Iberica 12: 1-650. Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Madrid.
Lazkov, G.A. & Sultanova, B.A. (2011). Checklist of vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan. Norrlinia 24: 1-166

Champaign-Urbana Herb Society — Herb of the Month, March 2004: Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)[permanent dead link]: Horehound takes its name from Horus, the Egyptian god of sky and light. The Egyptian priests called this plant "Seed of Horus", or "Bull’s Blood" and "Eye of the Star."

Conti, Fabio; Carlo Blasi; Alessandro Alessandrini; Giovanna Abbate (May 2005). An annotated Checklist of the Italian Vascular Flora. p. 60. ISBN 88-7621-458-5.
Pignatti, Sandro (1982). Flora d'Italia. Vol. 2. Bologna: Edagricole. p. 462. ISBN 88-506-2449-2.
"IPNI". Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.