Black horehound
Ballota nigra
Despite its foul, musty smell, it is highly attractive to bumblebees and was historically used in folklore to treat mild depression and ward off rabid dog bites.
- Scientific name
- Ballota nigra
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Lamiaceae › Ballota
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Waste ground, roadsides, hedgerows, and railway embankments.
- Diet
- Autotroph (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, Eastern North America
- Size
- 30 to 100 cm in height
- Lifespan
- Perennial (3-5+ years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Over-management of verges, heavy herbicide use, and paving over of ruderal urban green spaces.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely approach and touch this plant. It is non-toxic to touch, but bruising the leaves releases a strong, unpleasantly pungent odor. Avoid ingesting any wild plants without professional guidance.
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. It blooms in the Northern Hemisphere from May to August.
Photo: Joss Carr, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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