Description
Wild rice , also called manoomin , mnomen , Psíŋ , Canada rice , Indian rice , or water oats , is any of four species of grasses that form the genus Zizania , and the grain that can be harvested from them. The grain was historically and is still gathered and eaten in North America and, to a lesser extent, China, where the plant's stem is used as a vegetable.
Wild rice is not directly related to domesticated rice ( Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima ), although they are close cousins, all belonging to the tribe Oryzeae. Wild-rice grains have a chewy outer sheath with a tender inner grain that has a slightly vegetal taste.
The plants grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. The grain is eaten by dabbling ducks and other aquatic wildlife.
