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Wild Rice

Zizania aquatica

Wild rice is a native annual grass with feathery flowers on top of a tall, round stem. It grows in freshwater marshes throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.

Appearance:

• Round, hollow, upright stem
• Flower head with two sections: a feathery, upright female flower at the top of the stem and dangling male flowers on branches just below
• Flowers bloom in June-August
• Long, flat leaves with rough, toothed edges. Leaves can grow up to 16 inches long and 2 inches wide.
• Long, ribbon-like underwater leaves on immature plants
• Grows to 10 feet tall

Habitat:

• Found in tidal and non-tidal freshwater marshes and along streams
• Grows in shallow water
• Forms colonies

Range:

• Grows in the upper parts of tributaries such as the Choptank, Patuxent, Potomac and York rivers

Reproduction and Life Cycle:

• Spreads by seeds only
• After blooming, female flower matures into a seed head full of rice grains
• New seedlings grow in spring

Other Facts:

• An important source of food for birds, including waterfowland red-winged blackbirds
• Rice grain is edible

Sources and Additional Information:

• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Life in the Chesapeake Bay by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson
• Chesapeake Bay: Nature of the Estuary, A Field Guide by Christopher P. White
• PLANTS Profile for Zizania aquatica – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service