Discovered three years ago: a unique plant found in the Dnipropetrovsk region (PHOTO)

The clarified sage (Salvia clarissima) has been discovered in the Dnipropetrovsk region. This species of sage was identified by scientists only in 2022. Botanist Svitlana Kiyak shared this information on Facebook, as reported by "Vidomo".

The clarified sage remained unnoticed for centuries and was mistakenly identified as Salvia austriaca.

"Approximately 10 years ago, during research in the Dumbraveni Nature Reserve in Dobruja (Romania), botanist Anna Sabo noticed that some specimens of Salvia austriaca looked somewhat different from those in other regions of Europe. Anna brought these plants to the attention of her colleagues, leading to ecological, biogeographical, and genetic studies. It was confirmed that this is indeed an unknown species. Based on genetic analysis, an international group of researchers established that Salvia revelata and Salvia austriaca likely diverged about 200,000 years ago," the scientist writes.

Svitlana Kiyak notes that sage is widespread in our region. At the same time, Austrian sage and clarified sage are different plants, although they are very similar.

Scientists continue to investigate the distribution range of clarified sage in Ukraine and develop conservation measures for it. This discovery serves as a reminder that even in well-studied regions, remarkable scientific discoveries can still be made.