Common Name: Perennial Buckwheat

General Information

Fagopyrum cymosum is a vigorous perennial plant with a widely spreading rootstock; it can form large clumps, growing up to 100cm tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed, though this is not produced as abundantly as in the annual members of this genus[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - Himalayas of India and Nepal, east to southern and eastern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam

Habitat

Forests and cultivated areas; at elevations from 1,500 - 3,400 metres[]. Found alongside ditches on shady damp and fertile soils in China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Flies
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Fagopyrum cymosum is a plant of temperate regions, A very cold-hardy plant when dormant, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c[], though the new growth in spring is frost tender[]
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[], growing very well in woodland conditions[].
The plant 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[].
Perennial buckwheat is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed, though this is not produced as abundantly as in the annual members of this genus[]. 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[].
There is at least one named variety, selected for its ornamental value. 'Variegata' has variegated leaves[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , ]. Boiled or steamed and used like spinach[]. Of excellent quality according to one report[], but we have been less than impressed by the flavour, which has a distinct bitterness especially when eaten raw[]. The leaves are rich in rutin (see below for details of its uses) and so they do make a potentially healthy addition to the diet[].

Seed - it can be sprouted and eaten raw, or cooked and used as a cereal[]. 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[].

Medicinal

The whole plant is anodyne, anthelmintic, antiphlogistic, carminative, depurative and febrifuge. It stimulates blood circulation[]. A decoction is used in the treatment of traumatic injuries, lumbago, menstrual irregularities, purulent infections, snake and insect bites[].

A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of insect bites, dysmenorrhoea, inflammation, lumbago, snakebite and traumatic injuries[].

The leaves are rich in rutin which is a capillary tonic, antioedemic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and hypotensive[]. Rutin also inhibits carcinogenesis and protects against radiation[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

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.