Wild buckwheat

August 28, 2015

Polygonum convolvulus L.

Life cycle

Twining summer annual vine. 

wild buckwheat plant
Wild buckwheat plant. 

Leaves

Cotyledons are oblong-oval to linear. Leaves are alternate, hairless and heart- to triangle-shaped with a pointed tip and smooth margins.

wild buckwheat seedling wild buckwheat leaf
Wild buckwheat seedling (left) and leaf (right).

Stems

Twining, herbaceous, smooth vines branch at the base and are less than 3 feet long. A membranous sheath (ocrea) surrounds the stem at the base of each petiole. 

Flowers and fruit

Flowers are inconspicuous and green to white or pink. The seed is enclosed in a single-seeded, dull black, three-sided fruit.

wild buckwheat fruit wild buckwheat flowers
Fruit of wild buckwheat (left). Wild buckwheat flowers (right).

Reproduction

Seeds. 

Similar weeds

Mile-a-minute (P. perfoliatum L.) Differs by having downward-pointing prickles on the stems, petioles and leaf veins.

Tartary buckwheat [Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.] Differs by having a more erect habit, arrow-shaped leaves and a grooved, hollow stem. 

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