Buckwheat is a generic term, from the taste of sweet buckwheat and buckwheat. From the appearance of the seeds can not be distinguished, but the sweet buckwheat food color white, while the buckwheat food is yellow-green. In terms of taste, sweet buckwheat food texture light, no special flavor, and buckwheat food texture light, no special flavor, and buckwheat food is bitter taste, so that the first time to eat more difficult to accept, but after eating, its own unique flavor.

Cultivars

Pei buckwheat has four species, sweet buckwheat F. esculentum Moench, buckwheat F. tataricum (L.) Gaertn, wing buckwheat F. emarginatum Mtissner and rice buckwheat Fagopyrum spp. Sweet buckwheat and buckwheat are the two main cultivated species. Has been collected to more than 3,000 local varieties, of which sweet buckwheat, buckwheat each accounted for half.

Sweet buckwheat F. esculentum Moench also known as common buckwheat. No mycorrhizal roots, slender stems, often angular, reddish color. Leaf base with less obvious flower spots or a complete lack of anthocyanin, racemes, larger flowers, white, rose or red. Heteromorphic flowers, mainly of two types, a long-styled flower; a short-styled flower. Occasional androgynous flowers and a few incomplete flowers are also seen. There are obvious nectaries around the ovary. Scented, easy to attract insects. Heterogamous pollination. The achenes are large, three-angled, with smooth surfaces and edges, of good quality, and are one of the more widely cultivated in China.

Buckwheat F. tat

Buckwheat

aricum (L.) Gaertn. also known as Tatar buckwheat. There are mycorrhizal roots, stems are often smooth green. Leaf base often has obvious anthocyanin spots. Sparse racemes on all fruiting branches. Flowers are small, purplish red and yellowish green, unscented. Androgynophores are equal in length and self-pollinating. The achenes are small, three-angled, with inconspicuous ribs, some wavy. The surface is rough, with deep concave lines in the middle of the two ribs, the shell is thick, and the fruit has a bitter flavor. It is more widely cultivated in southwest China.

Winged buckwheat F. emarginatum Mtissner also known as winged buckwheat. Stem reddish, large leaves, mostly self-pollinated. Achene ribs thin and winged, coarse quality. In northern and southwestern China are cultivated in small quantities.

Mi buckwheat Fagopyrum spp. almost all of the major buckwheat-producing areas in China have distribution. Achenes like buckwheat, full between the two ribs to crack. But smooth without deep concave line, blunt and wrinkled skin. Named because the seed coat is easy to burst.

Southwest and northeast China are more widely distributed in the wild buckwheat type is extremely rich also known as buckwheat, tiger buckwheat, buckwheat, Poria cocos. There are annual or perennial sweet buckwheat type, buckwheat type and wild wing buckwheat type. Tibet is rich in wild buckwheat types. There are herbs, nearly woody, vines, tubers, underground succulents and other types. Wild buckwheat seeds are edible, the whole plant can be used as medicine.