Annual Wild Rice

Other Common Names: Indian rice, southern rice

(Zizania aquatica)

Native

Annual wild rice has tall thick stems, large strap like leaves, branching flowers up to two feet long, and yellow or reddish fruits (edible grains).

Description

Annual wild rice has thick, spongy stems that grow to nine feet tall.

The leaves are a very large grass, strap like, and they can grow three to four feet long and up to two inches wide. The leaves are smooth but have sharp edges.

Flowers branch out with many flowers up to two feet long and one foot across, blooming in fall. The fruit is an edible grain oval in shape and yellow or reddish in color.

Location

Annual wild rice can be found in the eastern United States and into the midwest.

Propagation

seeds, rhizomes