Ballota
Ballota is a genus of flowering evergreen perennial plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is 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. Other species have already been split to Pseudodictamnus
Ballota species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera including Coleophora case-bearers: C. ballotella, C. lineolea and C. ochripennella.
;SpeciesBallota adenophora Hedge – Saudi Arabia Ballota andreuzziana Pamp. – LibyaBallota antalyensis Tezcan & H.Duman – TurkeyBallota antilibanotica Post – Syria, LebanonBallota byblensis Semaan & R.M.Haber – LebanonBallota cristata P.H.Davis – Antalya region of TurkeyBallota glandulosissima Hub.-Mor. & Patzak – TurkeyBallota grisea Pojark. – CaucasusBallota kaiseri Täckh. – SinaiBallota larendana Boiss. & Heldr. – TurkeyBallota luteola Velen – Saudi Arabia Ballota macrodonta Boiss. & Balansa – Nigde region of TurkeyBallota nigra L. – most of Europe; North Africa, Middle East as far east as Iran; naturalized in New Zealand, Argentina, North America Bornm. – IsraelBallota platyloma Rech.f. – IranBallota saxatilis Sieber ex C.Presl – Middle East from Turkey to Saudi ArabiaBallota sechmenii Gemici & Leblebici – TurkeyBallota vellerea Maire, Weiller & Wilczek – Morocco