Perennial Buckwheat
Fagopyrum spp.

Family: Polygonaceae

What it is like

Fagopyrum contains 15 to 16 species of annual and perennial plants, including buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum).

Fagopyrum spp. is a PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. 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 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.

Eurasia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Climate: boreal to cold temperate including E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.

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. Carbon Farming Solutions - Staple Crop: balanced carb (The term staple crop typically refers to a food that is eaten routinely and accounts for a dominant part of people's diets in a particular region of the world).

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 3

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.

Other

Rating: 2

Animal feed, An ornamental plant.

Hypothetical Crop: These are perennial plants that could potentially be developed for cultivation. Some, such as cycads (for industrial starch), as simply neglected; others, such as buckwheat and soybeans, are annual crops that could potentially be perennialised by crossing and relatives.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.

Hypothetical Crop: These are perennial plants that could potentially be developed for cultivation. Some, such as cycads (for industrial starch), as simply neglected; others, such as buckwheat and soybeans, are annual crops that could potentially be perennialised by crossing and relatives.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

How it is grown

Climate: boreal to cold temperate. Humidity: arid to semi-arid. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: hypothetical - F. esculentum could be crossed with F. cymosum. Management: standard (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation).

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:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 5-10

Growth: Fast

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

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Buckwheat, Perennial buckwheat, Tall buckwheat

Synonyms

See individual species.