Zizania palustris L.

A grass which grows in water. It grows each year from seed. It grows 60-70 cm tall. It can be 160 cm tall. It has a shallow rooting system. The stems tiller or form shoots from the base. There can be 50 tillers per plant. The leaf blade is narrow. It is 6-32 mm wide. There are often 5-6 leaves above the water. The flowers are on a slender, much branched panicle. The lower male spikelets hang down while the upper female spikelets are erect. The seed is like a cylinder and 8-16 mm long by 1.5-4.5 mm wide. They are dark brown to purple-black. The grain is tightly enclosed.

It is a temperate plant. It can be grown like water grown rice. It grows in deeper and cooler water.

The grains are cooked and eaten like rice.

The plants are grown from seed. The seed are dormant for 3 months before they will grow. Seed should be stored in water below 3°C to keep them viable.