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- True grasses
- Zizania palustris
Zizania palustris — northern wild rice
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Facts
N/A
Habitat
Brackish or salt marshes and flats, fresh tidal marshes or flats, lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), riverine (in rivers or streams), shores of rivers or lakes
Characteristics
- Habitat
- aquatic
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 3–21 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 6–33 mm
- Glume relative length
- NA
- Awn on glume
- NA
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0–100 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf ligule length
- 3–16 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther number
- 0–6
- Awn on glume
- NA
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
-
- the lemma is hard and firm
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Floret number
- 1
- Floret types within spikelet
- all the florets within a spikelet are similar
- Glume awn length
- 0 mm
- Glume keel
- NA
- Glume relative length
- NA
- Glume shape
- NA
- Glume veins
- NA
- Glumes per spikelet
- 0
- Inflorescence arrangement
-
- the plant has two types of spikelets with different reproductive structures
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence crowding
- the panicle is somewhat to very spread out, with clearly-evident branches
- Inflorescence length
- 24–60 mm
- Inflorescence length to width ratio
- 0.2–2.4
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Inflorescence width
- 10–400 mm
- Inforescence position
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- Lemma awn base
- the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
- Lemma awn coiled
- the lemma awn is straight or twisted, but not coiled one half turn
- Lemma awn length
- 0–100 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma awn orientation
-
- the awn of the lemma is straight
- the awn of the lemma on dried or older plants is curved or bent outwards
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma hairs
- the lemma is hairless between the veins
- Lemma keel hairs
- NA
- Lemma marginal vein hairs
- the marginal vein of the lemma has fine hairs on it
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma tip shape
- the lemma tip tapers to a narrow point (it may or may not also have an awn or teeth at the tip)
- Lemma vein number
- 5
- Lemma vein orientation
- the veins on the lemma come together near the tip
- Lower glume length
- 0 mm
- Lower glume relative length
- NA
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Reproductive system
- the plant has some flowers with carpels, and other flowers with stamens, but no flowers with both (monoecious)
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet disintegration
- NA
- Spikelet length
- 6–33 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- 0
- Spikelet pedicel
- the spikelets have pedicels
- Spikelet pedicel length
- 0 mm
- Spikelet position
- the spikelets emerge from both the upper and lower halves of the inflorescence branches
- Spikelet shape
-
- the spikelets are lanceolate (lance-shaped, widest below the middle and tapering narrowly to the ends) in profile
- the spikelets are oblong (rectangular, but with rounded ends) in profile
- Spikelet width
- 0.6–2.6 mm
- Spikelets per panicle branch
- 2–15
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Tip of glume
- NA
- Upper glume length
- 0 mm
- Upper glume relative length
- NA
- Upper glume shape
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Groove on seed
- the caryopsis has a groove running most of its length
- Seed length
- 6–30 mm
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
- no
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
- Rhizomes
- no
- Roots
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Basal leaves
- the plant has few or no leaves coming from the base of the flowering stem
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf is tapered gradually to the base
- Leaf blade hairs
- the leaf blade is hairless, but it may have tiny prickles that give it a sand-papery feel
- Leaf blade length
- 20–60 cm
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 3–21 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 3–16 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hair type
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf sheath hairs
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Orientation of topmost leaf
-
- the flag leaf is held outward at more than a 45 degree angle from the stem, or it curves downwards from the horizontal
- the flag leaf is held upright, or at less than a 45 degree angle out from the stem
-
Place
- Habitat
- aquatic
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- brackish or salt marshes and flats
- fresh tidal marshes or flats
- in lakes or ponds
- in rivers or streams
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Hairs at nodes
- the stem nodes are hairless or they have very sparse hairs
- Plant height
- Up to 200 cm
- Roots at lower stem nodes
- no
- Stem orientation
- the stems are upright
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
var. palustris
- Massachusetts
- extremely rare to rare (S-rank: S1S2), #NAME? (code: #NAME?)
- Rhode Island
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), concern (uncertain) (code: C*)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
2. Zizania palustris L. var. palustris N
northern wild rice. Melinum palustre (L.) Link; Zizania aquatica L. var. angustifolia A.S. Hitchc. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Shallow, still or slow-moving water of lakes and rivers.