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Wild Rice

Zizania spp.

Wildrice Locations in North America
Wildrice Locations in Southeast US
Annual wild rice diagram

annual wild rice side view
annual wild rice fruit

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration courtesy of University of Florida/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. Used with permission.

What is Wild Rice?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

  • 4.72-43.30 inches long
  • Flat

Flowers:

  • Loose
  • Branching
  • Large clusters
  • 1-flowered spikelets

Stem:

  • Hollow
  • Up to 9 feet long

Where Does it Grow?

Wild rice can be found in ponds and lakes or along the edges of streams and marshes.

Pros and Cons of Wild Rice

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.

What Type of Wild Rice Do I Have?

There are three common types of wild rice in North America. Click on the buttons to learn more about each species.

Zizania aquatica
Zizania texana
Zizania palustris
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Photo Credits: The majority of the aquatic plant line drawings are the copyright of the University of Florida Center for Aquatic Plants (Gainsville). They are used with permission.

Aquatic plant photographs were provided by David Bayne, Jim Davis, Kelly Duffie, Billy Higginbotham, Michael Masser, John Clayton, Chetta Owens, Diane Smith, Joe Snow, Don Steinbach, Bridget Robinson Lassiter and Peter Woods.

You may use these photos, so long as you give credit to AquaPlant.

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