"Salvia Messii": a sky-blue and white flower is discovered in Peru and named in honor of the Argentine captain

Lionel Messi received a tribute as unexpected as it was unusual. A new species of plant from the Peruvian Andes was named Salvia messii, in honor of the captain of the Argentine national team. And the choice has a special detail: its flowers feature light blue and white tones, a combination that inevitably recalls the Albiceleste jersey.

The species was formally described by researchers Paúl Gonzáles, Rolando Uría, and Jean Capcha-Ramos and published on October 2, 2026 in the scientific journal Phytotaxa. The study confirmed that it is a new species to science, endemic to the central and southern Andes of Peru.

What is Salvia messii like?

The Salvia messii belongs to the lamiaceae family, the same group to which plants such as mint, basil, and rosemary belong. It is an aromatic shrub that can reach nearly 1.5 meters in height and grows on rocky slopes in the Peruvian Andes.

Known specimens are found between 2,000 and 2,400 meters above sea level, in six localities in the departments of Lima and Ica. Its flowers display a combination of white and light blue that evoked the colors of the Argentine national team and supported the decision to dedicate the species to Messi.

Although the scientific description is recent, the plant did not appear out of nowhere. Records of its populations had existed since 2009, but new expeditions, the collection of specimens, and detailed comparison with other species of the genus Salvia were necessary to confirm that it was a species that had not previously been formally described.

A species already considered endangered

The finding also brings a warning. Salvia messii was only found in six known localities and, due to its restricted distribution, the researchers preliminarily assessed it as an Endangered species (EN).

Among the threats to its habitat are fires, the construction of roads and highways, unregulated tourism, and droughts. Scientists also emphasize the importance of the transitional scrublands surrounding the relict forests of the western Andes, an environment that could still harbor other undescribed species.

Messi also has other species named after him

The tribute of Salvia messii is not the first that Lionel Messi has received within the scientific world. His surname had already been used previously to name different species as a form of recognition of the Argentine footballer's career.

Among them are the spider Acanthogonatus messii, a mygalomorph species recorded in Argentina; the lizard Liolaemus messii, described in Patagonia; and the fungus Cercopemyces messii, whose name was also chosen in honor of the world champion.

The list also includes other organisms and even fossil species that incorporated the surname of the Rosario native into their scientific designation. Salvia messii, however, adds an especially symbolic detail: its flowers combine light blue and white tones, the same colors as the Argentina national team with which Messi reached the summit in Qatar 2022.

Thus, on the rocky slopes of the Peruvian Andes, a new species has just added Messi's surname to the history of biodiversity. A tribute born of science that, because of its colors, also has a distinctly Argentine flavor.