Peruvian botanists name a blue-and-white Andean sage after Lionel Messi
Why the flower's colors made the name obvious, and why the plant is already endangered.
A newly described plant from Peru's Andes has been named Salvia messii after Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, because its pale blue and white flowers echo Argentina's jersey, Yahoo reports. The species was described in an Oct. 2 study in the journal Phytotaxa by Paúl Gonzáles, Rolando Uría and Jean Capcha-Ramos.
The mint-family shrub grows about five feet tall on rocky slopes at roughly 6,560 to 7,875 feet. It is known from six sites in the Lima and Ica regions, and the study assesses it as endangered, citing wildfires, road building and drought. Populations were first seen in 2009; fieldwork in 2023-2025 confirmed it is a separate species. Guinness World Records has recognized Messi as the soccer player with the most species named after him.
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Salvia
After exploring Messi Just Got an Unusual Honor From Scientists — an Endangered Plant Now Bears His Name, the plant's big family is introduced in Salvia.
Salvia is the largest genus in the sage family, with nearly 1,000 species, including culinary sage and rosemary.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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