The genus Fagopyrum is in the flowering plant family Polygonaceae. It includes some important food plants, such as F. esculentum (buckwheat) and 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.[2]

Fagopyrum
Fagopyrum esculentum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Subfamily: Polygonoideae
Genus: Fagopyrum
Mill.[1]
Species

See text.

Synonyms[2]
  • Fagotriticum L.
  • Helxine L.
  • Kunokale Raf.
  • Parapteropyrum A.J.Li
  • Phegopyrum Peterm.
  • Trachopyron J.Gerard ex Raf.

Description edit

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,[3] the artificial hybrid Fagopyrum × giganteum,[4] and Fagopyrum homotropicum.[5]

This genus has five-petaled flowers arranged in a compound raceme that produces laterally flowered cymose clusters.[6]

Taxonomy edit

The genus Fagopyrum was first published by Philip Miller in 1754.[1] It is placed in the tribe Fagopyreae (as the only genus) in the subfamily Polygonoideae.[7]

Species edit

As of March 2019, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[2]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Plant Name Details for Fagopyrum Mill". The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  2. ^ a b c "Fagopyrum Mill". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  3. ^ PFAF Plant Database: Fagopyrum dibotrys (Perennial Buckwheat)
  4. ^ Chen, Qing-Fu; Huang, Xiao-Yan; Li, Hong-You; Yang, Li-Juan & Cui, Ya-Song (2018). "Recent Progress in Perennial Buckwheat Development". Sustainability. 10 (2): 536. doi:10.3390/su10020536.
  5. ^ T. Sharma; S. Jana (2002). "Species relationships in Fagopyrum revealed by PCR-based DNA fingerprinting". Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 105 (2–3): 306–312. doi:10.1007/s00122-002-0938-9. PMID 12582533. S2CID 21623781.
  6. ^ M. Quinet; V. Cawoy; I. Lefevre; F. Van Miegroet; A.-L. Jaquemart; J.-M. Kinet. (2004). "Inflorescence structure and control of flowering time and duration by light in buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench)". Journal of Experimental Botany. 55 (402): 1509–1517. doi:10.1093/jxb/erh164. PMID 15208346.
  7. ^ Schuster, Tanja M.; Reveal, James L.; Bayly, Michael J. & Kron, Kathleen A. (2015), "An updated molecular phylogeny of Polygonoideae (Polygonaceae): Relationships of Oxygonum, Pteroxygonum, and Rumex, and a new circumscription of Koenigia", Taxon, 64 (6): 1188–1208, doi:10.12705/646.5

External links edit