Fagopyrum dibotrys
Perennial Buckwheat
a perennial member of the Fagopyrum genus in the family Polygonaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Polygonaceae
- Genus
- Fagopyrum
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Growth rate
- vigorous
- Height
- 1 m
- Spread
- 2 m
- Fertility
- Bees, Flies
- Flower type
- monoecious
- Pollinators
- Bees, Flies
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Leaves - raw or cooked[1][3][10]. Boiled or steamed and used like spinach[4]. Of excellent quality according to one report[6], but we have been less than impressed by the flavour, which has a distinct bitterness especially when eaten raw[K]. The leaves are rich in rutin (see below for details of its uses) and so they do make a healthy addition to the diet[K]. Seed - it can be sprouted and eaten raw, or cooked and used as a cereal[11]. Dried and ground into a powder, it can serve as a thickening agent in soups etc. The seed is rich in vitamin B6. Unfortunately, it is not freely produced in Britain[6].
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Product or use
- Rutin
- Plant part
- Seed
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The whole plant is anodyne, anthelmintic, antiphlogistic, carminative, depurative and febrifuge. It stimulates blood circulation[2]. A decoction is used in the treatment of traumatic injuries, lumbago, menstrual irregularities, purulent infections, snake and insect bites[2]. A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of insect bites, dysmenorrhoea, inflammation, lumbago, snakebite and traumatic injuries[8]. The leaves are rich in rutin which is a capillary tonic, antioedemic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and hypotensive[8]. Rutin also inhibits carcinogenesis and protects against radiation[8].
- Product or use
- Anodyne
- Product or use
- Anthelmintic
- Product or use
- Antiinflammatory
- Product or use
- Antiphlogistic
- Product or use
- Antispasmodic
- Product or use
- Cancer
- Product or use
- Carminative
- Product or use
- Depurative
- Product or use
- Febrifuge
- Product or use
- Hypotensive
Environment
- Range
- E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.
- Habitat
- Forests and cultivated areas from Pakistan to S.W. China, 1500 - 3400 metres[12]. Found alongside ditches on shady damp and fertile soils in China[2].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Division is very easy at almost any time in the growing season, though it is best avoided in early spring because the young growth can be damaged by late frosts. The divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
A very tolerant and 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 good soil in partial shade[5], growing very well in woodland conditions[K]. The dormant plant is hardy to about -20°c[5], though the growing plant is frost tender[K]. It is often excited into growth quite early in the year if the weather is mild, and will then be cut back by the first frost. It usually regrows quickly from the base[K]. Perennial buckwheat is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed, though this is not produced as abundantly as in the annual members of this genus[K]. Our plants flower in late summer and early autumn, and have not as yet produced any seed. Since all our plants come originally from one seedling, it is quite possible that the plant is self-sterile[K]. There is at least one named variety, selected for its ornamental value. 'Variegata' has variegated leaves[7].
References
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6
Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984-00-00