Golden buckwheat
Fagopyrum cymosum

Family: Polygonaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It has stout, woody, brown rootstocks. The stems are 1 m high. They are hollow. The leaves are triangle to heart shaped and 4-12 cm long and wide. There are hairs along the veins. The flowers are greenish-white. They are small and on the axils of leaves and at the ends of stalks in groups. The seed is 3 sided and shiny black.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in central and western China. It grows along streams and on hillsides at low altitudes of about 500 m. In the Indian Himalayas it grows between 1,800-3,600 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Japan, Northeastern India

How it is used for food

The plant is gathered and dried and used for tea. The young leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The harvested leaves can be stored for 4-5 days.

It is highly esteemed.

Edible parts

Leaves - tea, shoots, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bon choka, Bon paleng, Chutia lofa, Dhemsi sak, Jarian, Jhangar, Moichunkha, Mwisungka, Taktir

Synonyms

Polygonum cymosum Trevisan;