• Common name : Buckwheat
• Scientific name : Fagopyrumesculentum
• Family : Polygonaceae
• Native land : China
Buckwheat is a herbaceous annual plant. Buckwheat is not a cereal grain, but is actually a fruit seed. It is native to China, but now commonly cultivated in Bhutan, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia and Sikkim; also Australia, Europe and North America. Buckwheat is a short season crop. It begins to flower in four weeks and produces grains in 8 to 12 weeks. The plant can grow up to 10 feet tall. The stems of the plant are bare and branching; the leaves are alternate and sagittate-triangular. The flowers range from white to red in colour and have a pungent odour. Buckwheat is sometimes used as a green manure, as erosion control, or as wildlife cover and feed.
