Tartarian Buckwheat
Fagopyrum tataricum

Family: Polygonaceae

What it is like

Fagopyrum tataricum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in). It is in flower from July to 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 nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.8

Where it is found

Found at heights up to 4400 metres in the Himalayas from Pakistan to Bhutan.

E. Asia - Himalayas.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Leaves - raw or cooked. Acceptable raw when added in small quantities to mixed chopped salads, otherwise the leaves are much better cooked. They are rich in rutin. Seed - cooked as a cereal.The seed can also be sprouted and used in salads, or ground into a powder and used as a cereal. An edible oil is obtained from the seed.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 1

The bark is astringent.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Other

Rating: 0

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

How it is grown

A very 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 cool moist climate, also succeeds in dry and arid regions. Tartarian buckwheat is hardier and more resistant to cold than the more commonly grown buckwheat, F. esculentum, though it does not yield so highly. Occasionally cultivated for its edible seed in Europe and the Himalayas, there is at least one named variety. 'Madawaska' is more cold hardy and drought tolerant than the type.

Propagating it: Seed - sow from the middle of spring to early summer in situ. The seed usually germinates in 5 days. The earlier sowings are for a seed or leaf crop whilst the later sowings are used mainly for leaf crops or green manure.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 0-0

Growth:

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

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

The plant has caused photosensitivity in some people, the dehusked grain is said to be safe.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Polygonum tataricum.