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Associations

provided by BioImages, the virtual fieldguide, UK
Foodplant / miner
larva of Amauromyza labiatorum mines leaf of Ballota nigra

Plant / resting place / on
puparium of Amauromyza morionella may be found on leaf of Ballota nigra

Foodplant / saprobe
gregarious, shortly stalked apothecium of Calycina herbarum is saprobic on dead stem of Ballota nigra
Remarks: season: 9-12

Foodplant / open feeder
imago of Chrysolina banksi grazes on leaf of Ballota nigra
Remarks: season: 5-6,9-10

Foodplant / feeds on
larva of Dibolia cynoglossi feeds on Ballota nigra

Foodplant / saprobe
erumpent pseudothecium of Leptosphaeria doliolum is saprobic on dead stem of Ballota nigra
Remarks: season: 1-12

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / open feeder
adult of Longitarsus ballotae grazes on leaf of Ballota nigra

Foodplant / feeds on
larva of Meligethes ruficornis feeds on Ballota nigra

Foodplant / parasite
Neoerysiphe galeopsidis parasitises live Ballota nigra
Other: minor host/prey

Foodplant / saprobe
pseudothecium of Ophiobolus ulnosporus is saprobic on dead stem of Ballota nigra

Foodplant / saprobe
effuse colony of Periconia dematiaceous anamorph of Periconia byssoides is saprobic on dead, patchily blackened stem of Ballota nigra

Foodplant / saprobe
subcuticular to erumpent conidioma of Pseudolachnea coelomycetous anamorph of Pseudolachnea hispidula is saprobic on dead stem of Ballota nigra
Remarks: season: esp. Winter

Foodplant / saprobe
erumpent apothecium of Pyrenopeziza adenostylidis is saprobic on dead stem of Ballota nigra
Remarks: season: 5-11

Foodplant / sap sucker
adult of Raglius alboacuminatus sucks sap of fallen seed of Ballota nigra

Foodplant / sap sucker
nymph of Tritomegas bicolor sucks sap of nutlet of Ballota nigra
Other: major host/prey

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Ballota nigra

provided by wikipedia EN

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.

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]

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

References

  1. ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, Marrubio selvatico, Ballota nigra L. includes distribution maps for Italy, Europe, and North America
  3. ^ Webb, C.J., Sykes, W.R & Garnock-Jones, P.J. (1988). Flora of New Zealand 4: 1-1365. R.E.Owen, Government Printer, Wellington.
  4. ^ Castroviejo, S. & al. (eds.) (2010). Flora Iberica 12: 1-650. Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Madrid.
  5. ^ Lazkov, G.A. & Sultanova, B.A. (2011). Checklist of vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan. Norrlinia 24: 1-166
  6. ^ Champaign-Urbana Herb Society — Herb of the Month, March 2004: Horehound (Marrubium vulgare): 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.

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Ballota nigra: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

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.

license
cc-by-sa-3.0
copyright
Wikipedia authors and editors
original
visit source
partner site
wikipedia EN