CHAPTER XVI 

 ORYZA SATIVA (Rice) 



Habit, Roots, Stems, Leaves. — Common cultivated 

 rice is an annual plant, which grows best under swampy 

 or very moist conditions. There are upland varieties pro- 

 duced with irrigation, but the lowland type is the sort 

 almost entirely grown in the United States. The seedHng 

 has one seed root. The root system is fibrous; the first, 

 second, and third nodes give rise to adventitious roots. 

 The first whorl of permanent roots is close to ^^ inch above 

 the lower end of the culm. It is more shallow in very moist 

 ground than in dry soil. The plant tillers freely, sending up 

 usually four or five hollow stems to a height of 2 to 6 feet. 

 The leaf sheaths are open, and the blades are from 8 to 12 

 inches long and % to i inch wide. The ligule is long, acute 

 or obtuse, and easily splits into two parts. It is much shorter 

 and more rounded on the upper leaves than on the lower. 

 The auricle is white or green, cartilaginous or membranous, 

 and hairy. 



Inflorescence and Spikelet. — The inflorescence is a pan- 

 icle (Fig. 74). Its branches are either single or in pairs. 

 The spikelet " (Fig. 75) is compressed laterally. It is one- 

 flowered. There are two small scale-like or bristle-like 

 glumes, underneath each of which is a very minute, rudi- 

 mentary glume. The lemma is compressed, parchment-like 

 and five-nerved. The palet is similar to the lemma in size 

 and texture, but is only three-nerved. Both may be awned 

 or awnless. The broadly oval lodicules are small, thick, and 



