|
Fagopyrum Urophyllum
The genus ''Fagopyrum'' is in the flowering plant family Polygonaceae. It includes some important food plants, such as ''buckwheat, F. esculentum'' (buckwheat) and ''Fagopyrum tataricum, F. tataricum'' (Tartary buckwheat). The genus is native to the Indian subcontinent, much of Indochina, and central and southeastern China. Species have been widely introduced elsewhere, throughout the Holarctic and parts of Africa and South America. Description ''Fagopyrum'' contains 15 to 16 species of plants, including two important crop plants, buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), and ''Fagopyrum tataricum'' (Tartary buckwheat). The two have similar uses, and are classed as pseudocereals, because they are used in the same way as cereals but do not belong to the grass family Poaceae. Within ''Fagopyrum'', the cultivated species are in the Cymosum group, including ''Fagopyrum cymosum'' or perennial buckwheat, the artificial hybrid ''Fagopyrum'' × ''giganteum'', and ''Fagopyrum homotr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buckwheat
Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as ''Fagopyrum tataricum'', a domesticated food plant raised in Asia. Despite its name, buckwheat is not closely related to wheat. It is not a cereal, nor is it even a member of the Poaceae, grass family. Buckwheat is related to sorrel, Polygonum, knotweed, and rhubarb, and is known as a pseudocereal because its seeds' culinary use is the same as cereals, owing to their high starch content. Etymology The name "buckwheat" or "beech wheat" comes from its triangular seeds, which resemble the much larger seeds of the beech nut from the beech, beech tree, and the fact that it is used like wheat. The word may be a translation of Middle Dutch ''boecweite'': ''boec'' (Modern Dutch ''beuk''), "beech" (see Proto-Indo-European language, PIE *''bhago''-) and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
