Swamps and bogs along bayous, rivers and streams, and sand flats on the edge 

 of ponds and lakes, in Okla. (Creek Co.) and in e., s.e. and n.-cen. Tex., infrequent 

 to rare, spring-fall; e. U.S. w. to S.D., Neb., Kan., Okla. and Tex. 



44. Zizania L. Wild-rice 



Tall aquatic annuals or perennials with flat blades; panicles large, terminal, the 

 lower branches ascending or spreading and bearing the pendulous early deciduous 

 staminate spikelets, the upper branches ascending (at maturity erect) and bearing 

 the appressed tardily deciduous pistillate spikelets; spikelets 1 -flowered, disarticulat- 

 ing from the pedicel; glumes obsolete, represented by a small collarlike ridge; 

 staminate spikelet soft; lemma 5-nerved, membranaceous, linear, acuminate or 

 awn-pointed; palea about as long as the lemma, 3-nerved; stamens 6; pistillate 

 spikelet terete, angled at maturity; lemma chartaceous, 3-nerved, tapering into a 

 long slender awn; palea 2-nerved, closely clasped by the lemma; grain cylindric, 

 1-2 cm. long. 



A genus of 2 species in North America and one in Asia. 



1. Perennial, long-decumbent at base, growing in rapidly flowing water 



1. Z. texana. 



1. Annual, erect, growing usually in shallow still water 2. Z. aquatica. 



1. Zizania texana Hitchc. Texas wild-rice. Fig. 135. 



Coarse perennial; culms long-decumbent and rooting at nodes stoloniform, 

 distally ascending, 1-3 m. long, 3-13 mm. thick; ligule a scale 5-15 mm. long; 

 blades 12-110 cm. long, 5-23 mm. broad, flat, forming long streamers beneath 

 surface of water; panicle 2-3 dm. long, the lower portion with spreading branches 

 bearing staminate spikelets, the upper part with ascending or appressed branches 

 bearing pistillate spikelets; zone of abscission below the floret or spikelet; spikelets 

 consisting of a single naked floret (glumes obsolete or absent); staminate spikelets 

 pendulous, 7-9 mm. long, 1.5 mm. broad, not indurated nor awned; pistillate 

 spikelets erect, about 10 mm. long and 1 mm. broad, terete or at least not laterally 

 compressed, the lemma indurate at maturity and bearing an awn 10-23 mm. long. 



In clear cool fast-flowing spring-water in the San Marcos River, Hays Co., Tex., 

 where it is becoming rare, fall-spring, usually early spring; endemic. 



2. Zizania aquatica L. Northern wild-rice. Fig. 136. 



Tall annual; culms robust, to 1.5 m. long, often long-decumbent at base and 

 rooting at the nodes, spongy, but usually thickened at the nodes; sheaths glabrous, 

 somewhat inflated above; blades flat 5-12 (to 50) mm. wide, densely pubescent 

 at the base on both surfaces and on the nodes, otherwise minutely scabrous; ligules 

 5-10 mm. long, ovate, hyaline, acute or somewhat lacerate at the summit; panicles 

 large, 3-5 dm. long, terminal, monoecious, the lower branches ascending or 

 spreading, bearing 1 to 15 pendulous reddish staminate spikelets on short capillary 

 pedicels, the upper branches ascending, at maturity erect, bearing 2 to 6 appressed 

 pistillate spikelets on short club-shaped pedicels; the staminate spikelets early- 

 deciduous and the pistillate spikelets tardily deciduous; spikelets 1 -flowered, dis- 

 articulating from the pedicel; glumes obsolete, represented by a small collarlike 

 ridge; pistillate spikelet terete, angled at maturity, 4.5-8 cm. long, bearing a long 

 bristlelike awn 2.5-6 cm. long (the body of the spikelet 2-3 cm. long); pistillate 

 lemma rather firm and tough to thin and papery, strawlike with a somewhat 

 lustrous glabrous surface, appressed-scabrous over the entire surface or on the 

 margins, at the base and summit, along the awn and sometimes on the 3 nerves, 

 the lemma closely clasping the palea by a pair of strong lateral nerves; aborted 

 spikelets are very slender and shriveled, without a definite body; caryopsis nar- 

 rowly cylindrical, about 1.5 cm. long, pale brown to dark brown. 



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