582 THE SMALL GRAINS 



643. The plant. Buckwheat is a herbaceous, erect- 

 growing annual, which under ordinary conditions attains 

 a height of about 3 feet. A single stem only is pro- 

 duced from a seed, there being no tillering or branching 

 at the crown such as occurs in the true cereals. The 

 plant adjusts itself very efficiently to surroundings, such 

 as fertility of soil and rate of seeding, by sending out 

 branches from the main stem. The main stem varies in 

 diameter from \ to f inch. The stem and branches vary 

 in color from green to purplish-red when growing, but 

 change to brown when mature. The numerous joints 

 of the stem are swollen, hence the family name Poly- 

 gonaceae (polus many, and gonos knee). 



The leaves are arranged alternately on the stem and 

 are triangular-heart-shaped, entire, 2 to 4 inches in length, 

 slightly less in breadth, and are borne on a pedicel vary- 

 ing from nearly sessile to 4 inches in length/ 



644. The flowers of buckwheat are perfect and vary 

 from nearly white to light red or pink in color. They are 

 borne in many-flowered racemes either on the end of 

 the stem or on short pedicels that arise from the axils of 

 the leaves. These flower clusters are either erect or in- 

 clined to droop. The calyx is composed of 5 nearly equal 

 sepals, resembling petals, the latter being absent. The 

 calyx is not removed in thrashing, but remains attached 

 to the base of the grain, the grain being about twice as 

 long as the calyx. There are 8 stamens borne on thread- 

 like, glabrous filaments. The ovary is 1 -celled and 1- 

 ovuled, but the style is 3-parted with knob-like stigmas. 

 The flowers are produced in two forms, the stamens 

 being long and styles short in one and the stamens short 

 and styles long in the other. Only one kind of flower is 

 produced by a plant, but the seeds from either form 



