Buckwheat

(Fagopyrum esculentum)

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Plant upright. Flowers greenish white or pink, small, star-shaped, and arranged in a branching spray. Fruit with paper-like wings, and pointed at the apex. Stem smooth, sometimes tinged with red. Leaves broad, arrowhead-shaped, with a distinct petiole, except uppermost leaf commonly without a petiole, clasping the stem. Junction of leaf and stem with a swollen sheath. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of North America.

Habitat: Buckwheat is a weedy species found in a variety of disturbed habitats such as fields, roadsides, and empty lots.

Flowering period: June to September.

Similar Species: Buckwheat is most likely to be confused with Climbing False Buckwheat. However Climbing False Buckwheat is a a climbing vine, not an upright plant. The flowers are in elongate, spikes, not branching sprays.