Perennial Buckwheat
Fagopyrum dibotrys

Family: Polygonaceae

What it is like

Fagopyrum dibotrys is a PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 2 m (6ft) at a fast rate. It is frost tender. It is in flower in September. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 1

Where it is found

Forests and cultivated areas from Pakistan to S.W. China, 1500 - 3400 metres. Found alongside ditches on shady damp and fertile soils in China.

E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Leaves - raw or cooked. Boiled or steamed and used like spinach. Of excellent quality according to one report, but we have been less than impressed by the flavour, which has a distinct bitterness especially when eaten raw. The leaves are rich in rutin (see below for details of its uses) and so they do make a healthy addition to the diet. Seed - it can be sprouted and eaten raw, or cooked and used as a cereal. Dried and ground into a powder, it can serve as a thickening agent in soups etc. The seed is rich in vitamin B6. Unfortunately, it is not freely produced in Britain.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Rutin: often used as a food supplement.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The whole plant is anodyne, anthelmintic, antiphlogistic, carminative, depurative and febrifuge. It stimulates blood circulation. A decoction is used in the treatment of traumatic injuries, lumbago, menstrual irregularities, purulent infections, snake and insect bites. A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of insect bites, dysmenorrhoea, inflammation, lumbago, snakebite and traumatic injuries. The leaves are rich in rutin which is a capillary tonic, antioedemic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and hypotensive. Rutin also inhibits carcinogenesis and protects against radiation.

Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.

Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.

Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.

Antiphlogistic: Reduces inflammation.

Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.

Cancer: Used in the treatment of cancer.

Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.

Depurative: Eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Hypotensive: Reduces blood pressure, it is used in the treatment of high blood pressure

Other

Rating: 0

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

A very tolerant and easily grown plant, it prefers dry sandy soils but succeeds in most conditions including poor, heavy or acid soils and even sub-soils. Prefers a good soil in partial shade, growing very well in woodland conditions. The dormant plant is hardy to about -20°c, though the growing plant is frost tender. It is often excited into growth quite early in the year if the weather is mild, and will then be cut back by the first frost. It usually regrows quickly from the base. Perennial buckwheat is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed, though this is not produced as abundantly as in the annual members of this genus. Our plants flower in late summer and early autumn, and have not as yet produced any seed. Since all our plants come originally from one seedling, it is quite possible that the plant is self-sterile. There is at least one named variety, selected for its ornamental value. 'Variegata' has variegated leaves. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is fleshy. Thick or swollen - fibrous or tap root .

Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Division is very easy at almost any time in the growing season, though it is best avoided in early spring because the young growth can be damaged by late frosts. The divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 0-0

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

F. cymosum. (Trev.)Meissn. Polygonum chinense. P. dibotrys.