Scientists name newly-discovered plant species after Messi

Scientists have named a newly identified plant species in Peru after Argentine football star Lionel Messi, with the species classified as endangered.

The plant, named Salvia messii, is found in the Andes mountains of central and southern Peru, where climate change and forest fires threaten its survival.

According to The Athletic, the plant’s light blue and white flowers resemble the colours of Argentina’s national team jersey.

The discovery was documented 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 plant belongs to the mint family and can grow to about 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 of the National University of San Marcos, alongside Argentinian researcher Rolando Uría and biologist Jean Capcha Ramos of Huarango Nature.

The name Salvia messii follows botanical naming conventions, which use the suffix “i” to indicate that a species is named in honour of a person.