Scientists have described an aromatic shrub growing about 2,400 metres above sea level in south-central Peru as a species new to science, and named it Salvia messii in honour of the Argentine footballer Lionel Messi. Dhaka Tribune Bangla reported the news citing the Argentine daily La Nación.
The plant grows on rocky slopes in the Peruvian Andes and has blue and white petals, the colours of Argentina's flag. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which also includes basil, mint, rosemary and common sage, and reaches up to one and a half metres in height.
The species was discovered and described by botanist Paul Gonzáles of the Natural History Museum of the National University of San Marcos in Peru, Argentine independent researcher and plant breeder Rolando Uría, and biologist Jean Capcha-Ramos of Huiraranga Nature in Peru. Their study was published in the journal Phytotaxa.
The discovery began by chance. Uría, a plant breeder honoured by the Royal Horticultural Society in London, noticed that photos of a shrub from the Peruvian highlands shared by amateurs matched no recorded species. The three reviewed historical archives and herbarium specimens and spent years on expeditions to remote mountain slopes before confirming that no one had classified the plant before.
New plants cannot be named at will; international rules apply. When a species honours a person, Latin grammar adds an 'i' to the surname, so messii means 'Messi's plant'. The report notes that Messi, who retired from the national team this month, was also given an honorary doctorate by the University of Buenos Aires.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
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