Zizania

Scientific name

Zizania L.

Common names

wild rice, Indian rice

Family

Poaceae

Similar genera

Oryza

Native distribution

North America and northeastern Asia

Species cultivated

Zizania aquatica L.

Adventive distribution

Eastern Europe

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

emergent emergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
aquatic grass

Brief description

Annual. Rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
and stoloniferous; culms tall, erect, robust, spongy, nodes thickened. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear, flat, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
; base straight, sheathing; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
, scabrousscabrous:
(adj) of a surface, rough to the touch due to presence of short stiff hairs
; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
parallel; sheath glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
, somewhat inflatedinflated:
(adj) bladdery; swollen, or appearing so
above; liguleligule:
(n) (1) a strap-shaped structure; (2) an often thin, membranous or hairy structure projecting from the top of the leaf sheath in grasses and a few other families; (3) the flattened part of the ray corolla in the Asteraceae
prominent, membranous, acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
or somewhat laceratelacerate:
(adj) torn; irregularly cut or slashed
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
, large, open paniclepanicle:
(n) an indeterminate, branched (often much-branched) inflorescence; the ultimate units may be of a different inflorescence type
; monoeciousmonoecious:
(adj) having separate male and female flowers on the same individual
; lower branches (male) spreading or ascending; upper branches (female) ascending, becoming erect at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating from the pedicelpedicel:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
; perianthperianth:
(n) collective term for the calyx and corolla of a flower; also used for floral whorl(s) in which the calyx and corolla cannot be resolved; any of the leaves or bracts surrounding the sex organs of bryophytes
reduced or absent, floral parts white to purple.

Natural habitat

in shallow freshwater springs, marshes, lakes and ponds

Additional comments

Zizania contains four species. Zizania aquatica L., known as 'wild rice,' is a substantial field crop. It is also cultivated as a pond plant.