# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/ed77f34e-b96d-4ce2-baaf-36ab51c51118
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/145601
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagopyrum esculentum
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/219631921/medium.jpeg (joy russell, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.