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" 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: 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 External links Comprehensive profile for Ballota nigra from the website MaltaWildPlants.com nigra Plants described in 1753 Flora of Europe Flora of North Africa Garden plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Mediterranean Basin