Hasankeyf sage facts for kids

Salvia hasankeyfensis is a special type of wild sage plant. It was found recently in a town called Hasankeyf in southeast Turkey and the areas nearby. This plant is quite rare and only grows in a small part of the world.

Scientists Tuncay Dirmenci and Özal Güner discovered this plant in 2014. They were doing fieldwork in Hasankeyf. Later, in 2015, they wrote a paper with Ferhat Celep to officially describe it.

What Makes This Sage Special?

Salvia hasankeyfensis is related to another common sage plant called Salvia verbenaca. However, it has many unique features that make it different.

How It Looks Different

One big difference is the color of its flowers. Salvia hasankeyfensis has white petals. Its relative, Salvia verbenaca, usually has lilac or purple flowers.

The leaves are also different. Salvia hasankeyfensis has leaves that are closer to the stem. They are also denser and narrower. The leaves at the base of the plant and along the stem have different shapes too. These differences help scientists tell the two plants apart easily.

What Does This Plant Look Like?

Salvia hasankeyfensis is a herb that lives for many years. It has a strong, woody root underground.

Stems and Leaves

Its stems are hairy and can grow from 15 to 50 centimeters tall. Sometimes, the stems have branches.

The plant has leaves at its base that are 2 to 9 centimeters long and 0.2 to 2.5 centimeters wide. These leaves have irregular lobes, which means they have wavy or rounded edges. There are also oblong-shaped leaves on the stems. These are smaller, about 0.4 to 2.5 centimeters long and 0.2 to 1.0 centimeter wide.

Flowers and Seeds

The plant produces slender flower stalks. The small leaves around the flowers, called sepals, are grey-green. The beautiful petals of the flowers are white.

The plant starts to flower in June and continues until mid-July. Its seeds become ripe from July to August.

Where Does It Grow?

Salvia hasankeyfensis likes to grow in rocky cracks. You can find it at an elevation of 650 to 700 meters above sea level. This is a very specific type of place.

In contrast, its relative, Salvia verbenaca, can grow in many different places. These include forest clearings, roadsides, rocky slopes, and even forests with trees that lose their leaves in autumn.

Facing a Big Threat

Scientists believe that Salvia hasankeyfensis grows in a very small area. This area is less than 10 square kilometers. They also estimate that there are fewer than 250 mature plants left.

The Ilısu Dam

This plant faces a serious threat from the Ilısu Dam. This dam is being built on the Tigris river, downstream from Hasankeyf. When the dam is finished, it will create a large reservoir, which is like a big lake.

The water level of this reservoir will be 525 meters high. This is 125 meters below where Salvia hasankeyfensis usually grows. Even though the plants might not be directly underwater, having a large lake nearby in an area that used to be dry could change the environment a lot. This might make it hard for the plant to survive.

Because of this danger, the scientists who discovered the plant have suggested it should be called "Critically Endangered". This means it is at a very high risk of disappearing forever.

How It Got Its Name

When this new species was first published, it was called Salvia hasankeyfense. However, scientists later corrected the name to hasankeyfensis. This was done to match the feminine gender of the word Salvia in Latin.