Buckwheat was first brought to Europe from the northern parts of Asia, and first cultivated in England about the year 1600. Buckwheat is not a cereal grain but a fruit seed from the herbaceous plant buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum).
This is an annual herb, up to 1 m tall, branched, glabrous. Leaves are petiole, blades are ovate-triangular to triangular, 2-8 cm long, with acuminate tips, bases are cordate or approximately hastate; upper leaves are smaller, sessile.
Its root system is a main root system. Its characteristic spindle-shaped taproot does not penetrate deeply in the soil so it does not tolerate dryness well. Its hollow stem is naked, of reddish-green color with ribbon surface.
This species is common buckwheat and is widely cultivated over the northern and to some extent the southern hemisphere. There are many cultivars or landraces in this species.
This plant makes an aromatic flower and subsequently the buckwheat groats, which are small triangle-shaped grain-like seeds covered by a hard shell.
The blossoms appear in July and August and the seeds ripen in October and so tender are the plants, that single nights sharp frost will destroy a whole crop.
When bees collect the nectar of the buckwheat flower the flavor of the resulting honey is strong and the honey itself is quite dark. The flour of the buckwheat is occasionally used for food, but more frequently for the thin cakes called crumpets.
In Germany, it serves as an ingredient for pottage, puddings and other food.
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)
