CHAPTER [I 
BOTANY 
Screntiric NamMEs 
During the early history of the science of botany the wild-rice 
plant, with which this memoir deals, received many scientific names. 
It is today known as Zizania aquatica, and is a grass belonging to the 
order Graminew, to the lesser tribe Oryzew, to the genus Zizania, 
and to the species aquatica.’ The word ‘‘zizania” appears in the 
New Testament in the Gospel according to Matthew, xiii, 25, 26, 27, 
29, 30, where it is supposed to refer to lolium. The word is translated 
“tares,” and the plant is there spoken of as growing in farming soil 
among the wheat.” However, the plant under present discussion is 
aquatic, and there is no likeness between the two except in name. 
The following table presents a list of various scientific synonyms by 
which the plant Zizania aquatica has been known:* 
Zizania—Gronoyious, ex Linneus, Gen. ed., vol. 1 (1742), p. 863. 
* Graminex—Bentham and Hooker, f. 3, p. 1115. 
* Blymus—Mitchell, in Act. Phys. Med. Acad. Nat. Cur., vol. vir (1748), appendix, 
p: 210. 
* Fartis—Adams, Fam., vol. 1 (1763), p. 37. 
Hydropyrum—Link; see Index Generum Phanerogamorum (1888), p. 468. 
Melinum—tLink, op. cit. 
Zizaniopsis—Do6ll et Aschers; see Index Generum Phanerogamorum (1888), p. 468. 
Zizania aquatica—Linn., Mant., p. 295. 
Zizania clavulosa—Micheaux, Fl. Bor. Am., vol. 1 (1803), p. 75. 
Zizania effusa—Herb. of Linn. (so marked, but not by Linn. ), Jour. Linn. Soc., vol. vr 
(1862), p. 52. 
* Zizania latifolia—Turezaninow, Bull. Soc. Nat. M. 8. (1825) 105; vol. xx1x (1856), 
number 1, p. 2. 
Zizania palustris—Linn., Mant., vol. 1 (1771), p. 295. 
The Aydropyrun esculentum of Link is the same as Z/zanta aquatica. 
It is asserted! that Z Jatifolia of Japan and eastern Russia is iden- 
tical with the North American Z. aquatica, but Prot. J. Matsumura, of 
the Imperial University, Japan, writes that the American plant is 
identical with a plant growing in Japan, Formosa, and eastern China 
which bears the name Z/zania aquatica.” 

1F. Lamson-Seribner in Bull. 7 of the Division of Agrostology, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
revised ed., Washington, 1898. 
2William Darlington, Agricultural Botany, New York, 1847, p. 207. 
3Those marked * have not been verified; they are from secondary sources. 
4Bentham in Journal of the Linnzan Society, vol. Xrx (1882), p. 54. 
5J. Matsumura, letter, Dec. 16, 1898. 
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