Common Buckwheat
Fagopyrum esculentum
Despite its deceptive name, buckwheat is not a grass or a true wheat, but is actually a 'pseudocereal' closely related to rhubarb and sorrel.
- Scientific name
- Fagopyrum esculentum
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Caryophyllales › Polygonaceae › Fagopyrum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Agricultural fields, disturbed soils, plains, and temperate grasslands.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (utilizes photosynthesis, absorbing sunlight, water, and soil minerals).
- Range
- North America, Europe, Asia, East Asia
- Size
- 30 to 130 cm tall
- Lifespan
- 10 to 12 weeks
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Overuse of chemical herbicides, industrial agricultural consolidation, and extreme drought.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely approach and touch this plant. It is commonly cultivated as a grain crop and cover crop. Note that while harmless to touch, buckwheat seeds can be a strong allergen for sensitive individuals if ingested or inhaled as flour dust; seek medical help if an allergic reaction occurs.
Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum ), also known as common buckwheat , Japanese buckwheat and silverhull buckwheat , is a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. A related and more bitter species, Fagopyrum tataricum , a domesticated food plant common in Asia, but not as common in Europe or North America, is also referred to as buckwheat.
Photo: joy russell, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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