buckwheat

Any of a group of cereal plants. The name usually refers to Fagopyrum esculentum, which reaches about 1 m/3 ft in height and can grow on poor soil in a short summer. The highly nutritious black triangular seeds (groats) are eaten by both animals and humans. They can be cooked and eaten whole or as a cracked meal (kasha), or ground into flour, often made into pancakes. (Genus Fagopyrum, family Polygonaceae.)