Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, Buckwheat

Account Summary

Growth form, origin and preferred habitats

Buckwheat is a tall or medium-sized (20-60 cm in height), erect, little branched, hollow-stemmed, pink or white flowered annual. It is a native of temperate E Asia, and wild forms are found in SW China (Yunnan) and Siberia. As a non-grass cereal crop, it was introduced into Europe from China in the Middle Ages, reaching Holland and Germany early in the 15th century. From there it spread with agriculture and was cultivated for several centuries in England, France, Spain, Italy and Russia. Apart from China, it also found a place in the agriculture of Japan, India, Africa, Brazil and Australia, and was one of the first crop plants introduced to the American Colonies where it continues to be grown (C.G. Campbell, in: Simmonds 1976; Vaughan and Geissler 1997).

Buckwheat was quite widely sown in Britain and Ireland for poultry and game bird fodder from the 16th until the early 20th century. Nowadays, F. esculentum is much more commonly grown in other parts of the world, particularly in Russia (50% of the world crop), China (17%) and in N America where buckwheat flour is still used to make pancakes (Allison & Day 1997).

The similarity of the blackish brown or grey nut-like achene to the much larger beech nut, both fruits being sharply triangular in section, and its use for bread flour, gives rise to the German name, 'Buchweisen', which translates as 'Beechwheat'. The English common name 'Buckwheat' is a corruption of this translation (Salisbury 1964).

Since the crop is a seed and it can be used to make gluten-free flour, Buckwheat is described as a pseudo-cereal crop. The discovery of gluten allergy in many people in western society in recent years has enhanced interest in and growth of the crop as a suitable dietary replacement for sufferers of this debilitating condition. F. esculentum grows well in nutrient-poor, light or sandy, acid soils of low fertility, always provided they are well drained. In hot climates, it can only be sown late in the season so that it blooms in cooler weather. It produces most seed when pollinating insects are plentiful. These properties, together with the high nutritional value of the crop (protein content 18%), made it popular and widely grown around the world for centuries.

Buckwheat grows quickly, has a growing period of just 10-12 weeks, and apart from its use as a pseudo-cereal, can be used as a cover crop to overgrow and smother weeds, eg in vineyards, or to conserve soil in areas subject to erosion. It can also be used as a green manure, being ploughed into the soil to improve fertility and moisture retention. Another use for which Buckwheat is deliberately sown is to provide protective cover for pheasants and other game birds, since the plants in addition to shelter also provide food in the form of seed later in the growing season (Stace & Crawley 2015).

Reproduction

The inflorescence consists of spike-like, cymose clusters of 4-6 small flowers borne on peduncle stalks in the axils of the upper leaves. The flowers, which become more congested towards the top of the stem, are heterostylous, like the Primrose (Primula vulgaris), having 'pin' and 'thrum' types, depending upon the length of the style and the position of the stamens. An unusual and rather curious feature is that in F. esculentum, the thrum-eyed flowers are noticeably larger than the pin-eyed (Jonsell et al. 2000). Heterostyly is unusual in annual plants, and doubly so in a seed crop plant (Stace & Crawley 2015). Heterostyly is an obvious outbreeding mechanism, the flowers being totally self-incompatible. The necessary pollinating insects (which include honey bees) are attracted by the greenish-white, pink or rarely bright red or deep pink flower perianth and nectar from globular nectaries arranged between the inner and outer rings (whorls) of the eight stamens. The nut-like fruit is 5-6 mm long, 2-3 times longer than the perianth (Clapham et al. 1987; Sell & Murrell 2018).

Some years ago plant breeders managed to create homostylous, highly self-compatible, diploid strains of Buckwheat which obviously have the potential to greatly increase seed yields of the crop (C.G. Campbell, in: Simmonds 1976; Stace & Crawley 2015).

Variation

There are rare variants with dark pink or bright red flowers. Other forms have fruits with silvery grey surfaces (Jonsell et al. 2000).

Fermanagh occurrence

There is just one record in the Fermanagh Flora Database made by RHN, but since there is no voucher specimen to support it, some doubt must attach to the identification.

Irish occurrence

The New Atlas map shows just three post-1987 records in Irish hectads in N Tipperary, Fermanagh and Tyrone (H10, H33 & H36). The only other Irish records mapped in any of the BSBI plant atlases are in three hectads near Belfast, all pre-dating 1930 (Perring & Walters 1962, 1976; Preston et al. 2002).

British occurrence

Buckwheat seed is still imported into Britain and Ireland and is used as feed for poultry and pheasants. In parts of Britain, a little Buckwheat may still be sown as a green manure and as a bird- and bee-fodder plant (J.R. Akeroyd, in: Preston et al. 2002). Cultivation is only on a very small scale in Britain and there does not appear to be any at all in Ireland. Buckwheat still occurs, however, as a component of wild bird seed mixtures that are increasingly used in gardens to attract avian visitors, especially during the winter months.

F. esculentum is occasionally found in the wild in Britain on waste ground, especially in the midlands of England south of a line between Liverpool and Hull (Preston et al. 2002). Nowadays, it only appears either as a casual from bird seed in garden borders or parks, or as a relict of cultivation on field margins (Reynolds 2002). In either situation, its occurrence is erratic and it usually does not persist long (Clement & Foster 1994).

Toxicity

Buckwheat contains a pigment called 'fagopyrin' that is present in both fresh and dried plants. When fed to farm animals, and particularly chickens, fagopyrin is believed to induce photosensitivity to sunlight. When the black seeds are dehusked, however, they are considered harmless (Cooper & Johnson 1998).

Uses

The protein of Buckwheat seed and flour is of excellent quality and it is also rich in iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin B and dietary fibre. Apart from the above mentioned uses as animal fodder and flour for pancakes, dehulled Buckwheat achenes are cooked as porridge and the flour is used in biscuits, noodles, cereals and as a substitute for other grains (C.G. Campbell, in: Simmonds 1976).

Names

The genus name 'Fagopyrum' is a combination of the Latin 'fagus' meaning 'beech' and Greek 'pyros', 'wheat'. The Latin specific epithet 'esculentum' means 'edible' or 'good to eat' (Stearn 1992). The English common name 'Buckwheat' is a mistranslation of the German name 'Buchweisen' or the Dutch 'Boekweit' (Gilbert-Carter 1964). Alternative names include 'Common Buckwheat', 'Japanese Buckwheat' and 'Silverhull Buckwheat'.

Threats

Apart from the toxicity of the whole plant (fresh or dried), rather than the dehusked seed, there is no real threat from this species. However, people who suffer from food allergies would be wise to avoid it.

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