Scientists Name Endangered Plant After Lionel Messi In Peru

Scientists have named a newly discovered plant species in honour of Argentine football legend Lionel Messi and classified it as endangered due to threats from climate change and forest fires.

The plant, named Salvia messii, is native to the Andes mountains of central and southern Peru, where environmental pressures are putting its survival at risk.

According to The Athletic, the plant produces light blue and white flowers resembling the colours of Argentina’s national football team jersey, a feature associated with Messi’s country.

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”.

A member of the mint family, Salvia messii can grow up to 1.5 metres tall. It thrives on rocky, dry mountain slopes at elevations between 2,000 and 2,400 metres above sea level.

The research was led by Paúl Gonzáles of the Natural History Museum at the National University of San Marcos in Peru, alongside Argentine researcher Rolando Uría and biologist Jean Capcha Ramos of Huarango Nature.