Ballota nigra, Black Horehound

Common Name: Black Horehound

Ballota nigra, more commonly known as Black Horehound, is an upright, bushy perennial with hairy, heart-shaped, toothed leaves, which often turn black when the plant has flowered. Flowering between May and October, it can grow to about a metre in height, and is usually found at the edges of footpaths, in woodland and beside hedgerows.

The pink-purple funnel-like flowers are arranged in whorls towards the top of the stem. When the leaves are crushed they give off a strongly resinous smell, which serves as a deterrent to herbivores and may help to explain why one local name for this plant is 'Stinking Roger'.

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