an aquatic grass, Zizania aquatica, native to North America, having seeds resembling rice and used as food, coarse annual grass of the family Poaceae whose grain, now often considered a delicacy, has long been an important food of North American Indians. Despite its name, the plant is not related to rice (Oryza sativa). Wild rice grows in shallow water in marshes and along the shores of streams and lakes in north-central North America. The wild rice plant is about 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 feet) tall and is topped with a large, open flower cluster. The ripened grains, dark brown to purplish black, are slender rods 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 inch) long. A closely related perennial, Z. caducifolia (or Z. latifolia), is cultivated as a vegetable in eastern Asia.