Ballota (horehound) is a genus of about 35 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, native to temperate regions of Europe, north Africa and western Asia, with the highest diversity in the Mediterranean region. They are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera including "Coleophora" case-bearers: "C. ballotella", "C. lineolea" (which has been recorded on "B. nigra") and "C. ochripennella".