Wild buckwheat has two crescent shaped cotyledons, red stems, heart-shaped leaves, and an alternating leaf arrangement. It begins to emerge in March and has a vining growth habit.
Wild buckwheat wraps around wheat plants and creates harvest problems.
It often is confused with field bindweed because of the vining growth habit and similar leaf shape. However, buckwheat is an annual that grows from seed, while field bindweed is a perennial that often regrows from roots. Wild buckwheat has small inconspicuous green flowers and produces black pyramid -shaped seed. Management - Wild buckwheat is difficult to manage because of the late emergence time in the spring. The most effective herbicides for wild buckwheat control in wheat are Finesse, Glean, Amber, Rave, Peak, Banvel, and Clarity herbicides.