CLASSIFICATION AND INHERITANCE OF SMALL GRAINS 107 



These plants are wheat-like in spike and seed characters, yet 

 they resemble rye in some other characters. They are now being 

 tested for winter hardiness. 



3 f 



FIG. 25. Spikes from four t\ plants of a wheat-rye cross. Spike No. 39 is 

 much like rye in regard to the awn development and ciliated glumes. Other 

 heads resemble wheat more than rye. (After Love.} 



BUCKWHEAT 1 



Buckwheat belongs to the buckwheat family (Polygonacece). 

 The original home of this plant was probably Asia, whence it was 

 introduced into Europe through Tartary and Russia in the middle 

 ages. The generic name of buckwheat, Fagopyrum, comes from 

 the Latin, fagus, beech, and the Greek, puros, wheat, based on 

 the fact that the seed of buckwheat resembles the beechnut. 

 The three species of economic importance are F. emarginatum, 

 F. tataricum, and F. esculentum. The forms commonly grown 

 in the United States belong to the last-named species. Classifi- 

 cation is based on such characters as size, color, and shape of 

 seed; color of growing stem; average height of plant; shape of 

 leaf; and flower characters. The flowers of buckwheat are 

 dimorphic, i.e., some have long stamens and short styles, others 

 just the reverse. Only one kind of flower is produced on the 



1 CARLETON, 1916. 



