Zizania aquatica
Richard Carter, Valdosta State University
Wild Rice is a large grass that grows in
water. It can grow up to 9 feet tall. Its stems are thick
and spongy. Wild Rice leaf
blades grow up to 4 feet long and 2
inches wide. This plant is usually found in shallow
water (less than 3 feet deep) along the edges of
rivers,
streams,
ponds,
lakes,
and marshes.
It does not do well in fast-moving water. Wild Rice is an annual,
which means it only lives for one year. The seeds
it releases will grow into next year's plants. Wisconsin State
Herbarium, Merel R. Black A new Wild Rice
plant begins growing in May. The first leaves grow
underwater. Next, a new set of leaves grows and
floats on the surface of the water. The last set of
leaves grows stiff and upright out of the water.
Wild Rice
flowers in mid-July and August. Flowers
are tiny and grow on spikelets. They are usually
white or purple. In late August,
seeds
turn brown and fall in the water. Many of the seeds
will be eaten by ducks and other animals, but some
will survive until Spring when they will take root
in the mud and grow into new plants. Wisconsin State
Herbarium, Hugh H. Iltis
Steve Hurst, ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory
Animals that eat Wild
Rice seeds include Mallard, Wood Duck, American Black Duck,
other ducks, Canada Goose, Bobolink, Sora, Song Sparrow,
Fish Crow, Northern Bobwhite, and Red-winged Blackbirds.
Muskrats and White-tailed
Deer eat the whole plant. Common Carp will uproot and eat
young plants. Bumblebees and some flies
eat Wild Rice pollen from the flowers, but these
insects
do not help the plant by pollinating
it. Wild Rice is able to pollinate itself. Wild Rice provides good
cover
for ducks and other water animals. University of Florida,
Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
