Buckwheat

Fagopyrum esculentum

Found in fields, disturbed areas, railroad rights-of-way, escaped from cultivation. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height: About 2 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

See native alternatives

Fagopyrum esculentum — foliage photograph — (c) Hannes Dahm, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

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At a glance

Life cycle: Annual
Bloom: June to November
Fruiting season: Summer to fall

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 9 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Fagopyrum

Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
Calothysanis amaturariaCross-Lined Wave
Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Fagopyrum

Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
Eremophila alpestrisHorned Lark
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Polygonaceae
Hardiness: Zones 6a–12b
Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline
Flower color: Pink or white
Growth rate: Rapid
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Pink or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 6a–12b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “About 2 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Neutral to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Common Buckwheat

Conservation status

Florida rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source