The WALA Plant Library
Buckwheat

Synonyms for Buckwheat: beechwheat, saracen corn, Fagopyron esculentum
Scientific Name: Polygonum fagopyrum L.
Family: Polygonaceae (knotweed family)

Description:

The name buckwheat derives from the Dutch Boek-weit, meaning beech-wheat, which is also the meaning of our German Buchweizen. But buckwheat is related neither to the beech nor to wheat: it is in fact a close cousin to sorrel and rhubarb. All three belong to the knotweed family, named for the thick knotted joints on their stems. Buckwheat is a slender annual with an erect, reddish stem and triangular leaves. From June to September cluster-like inflorescences, consisting of numerous red or sometimes white florets, sprout from the leaf axils along the stems: the latter can grow to a length of 60 centimetres. A single plant can produce 300 to 1800 perfumed flowers, each of which blooms for one day only - such that a buckwheat field in full bloom resembles a meadow covered with a blanket of red-tinged snow. Within the flowers ripen the small, dark brown nuts with three sharp edges typical of this plant. With its extra long root hairs, buckwheat can find minerals and water deep underground, allowing it to thrive in poor, sandy soil, for example in foothills and high mountains.