Chorokhian Dead Nettle

The Chorokhian Dead-Nettle (Lamium tschorochense) is a Critically Endangered flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae (mint family), endemic to the Coruh River valley region in the Artvin Province of northeastern Turkey and adjacent Georgia. Dead-nettles of the genus Lamium are herbaceous plants named for their superficial resemblance to stinging nettles (Urtica) but lacking the stinging trichomes — hence 'dead' nettle. The genus comprises about 50 species across Europe, Asia, and North Africa, producing the characteristic two-lipped, tubular flowers typical of Lamiaceae in pink, purple, white, or yellow. The Chorokhian Dead-Nettle is endemic to the steep, rocky gorges and riparian vegetation of the Çoruh (Chorokhi) River — one of Turkey's fastest-flowing and most ecologically important rivers. This restricted range makes the species acutely vulnerable to the ongoing construction of a cascade of large hydroelectric dams on the Çoruh River, which has flooded significant areas of the gorge habitats. The IUCN critically endangered classification reflects both the extremely limited range and the direct, irreversible destruction of habitat by dam inundation. Few species of flowering plant face a more immediate, concrete threat to their existence than those confined to river gorges scheduled for flooding.