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Wild rice (also called Canada rice, Indian rice, and water oats) are four species of grasses forming the genus ''Zizania'', and the grain that can be harvested from them. The grain was historically gathered and eaten in both North America and China. While it is now a delicacy in North America, the grain is eaten less in China,〔 where the plant's stem is used as a vegetable. Wild rice is not directly related to Asian rice (''Oryza sativa''), whose wild progenitors are ''O. rufipogon'' and ''O. nivara'', although they are close cousins, sharing 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, as well as humans. ==Species== Three species of wild rice are native to North America: * Northern wild rice (''Zizania palustris'') is an annual plant native to the Great Lakes region of North America, the aquatic areas of the Boreal Forest regions of Northern Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada and Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan in the US. * Wild rice (''Z. aquatica''), also an annual, grows in the Saint Lawrence River and on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. * Texas wild rice (''Z. texana'') is a perennial plant found only in a small area along the San Marcos River in central Texas. One species is native to Asia: * Manchurian wild rice (''Z. latifolia''; incorrect synonym: ''Z. caduciflora''), is a perennial native to China. Texas wild rice is in danger of extinction due to loss of suitable habitat in its limited range and to pollution. The pollen of Texas wild rice can only travel about 30 inches away from a parent plant. If pollen does not land on a receptive female flower within that distance, no seeds are produced.〔(Pollination Habits of Endangered Rice Revealed to Help Preservation ) Newswise, Retrieved on July 15, 2008.〕 Manchurian wild rice has almost disappeared from the wild in its native range, but has been accidentally introduced into the wild in New Zealand and is considered an invasive species there.〔(NIWA: Stopping the freshwater wild rice invader )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「wild rice」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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