Scientists have named a newly identified plant species in Peru after Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, with researchers classifying the species as endangered.
The plant, Salvia messii, grows in the Andes mountains of central and southern Peru, where climate change and forest fires threaten its survival.
According to The Athletic, the plant produces light blue and white flowers resembling the colours of Argentina’s national football team jersey.
The discovery was detailed in a study published in the October 2026 edition of the scientific journal Phytotaxa. Titled “A remarkable new Salvia (Lamiaceae) from the ecotonal vegetation surrounding the western Andean relict forests of Peru”, the study documents the species and its habitat.
A member of the mint family, Salvia messii can grow to approximately 1.5 metres tall. It thrives on rocky, dry mountain slopes at elevations of between 2,000 and 2,400 metres above sea level.
The research was led by Paúl Gonzáles of the Natural History Museum of the National University of San Marcos, with contributions from Argentine researcher Rolando Uría and biologist Jean Capcha Ramos of Huarango Nature.
The species’ scientific name follows a botanical naming convention in which the suffix “i” is used to honour a person.
You Might Also Like
