# Rice (*Oryza sativa*)

Rice is a small, round grain that grows in water. It is a staple food for many people around the world!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wet fields and paddies
- **Also known as:** Basmati Rice, Brown Rice, Jasmine Rice, Paddy Rice, White Rice

![Rice](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426872/objects/5024.jpg)

## Appearance

The Rice plant has slender, grass-like leaves and hollow stems. Its small, inconspicuous flowers cluster on a branched stalk, developing into the familiar grains. When ripe, the fields turn a beautiful golden color.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Liliopsida
- **Order:** Poales
- **Family:** Poaceae
- **Genus:** Oryza

## Interesting facts

- Each tiny rice grain you eat is actually a type of fruit!
- Rice is a staple food for over half of all the people on Earth!
- Some types of rice can grow over 20 feet tall to escape deep floods!
- The oldest cultivated rice grains found are over 9,000 years old!

## Special abilities

- **Water-Loving Roots:** Rice can grow in flooded fields because its stems have air channels, helping it breathe underwater.
- **Bountiful Grains:** Rice has many tiny flowers that develop into numerous grains, allowing it to produce a large food harvest.
- **Self-Fertilizer:** Rice can pollinate itself, ensuring it produces seeds and a crop even without help from insects or wind.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 60-180 cm
- **Spread:** 15-30 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.3 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer to fall
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Self

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** brown planthopper (*Nilaparvata lugens*) — Feeds on rice plant sap
- **Eats:** [wild boar](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wild-boar) (*Sus scrofa*) — Consumes rice plants and grains
- **Eats:** red-billed quelea (*Quelea quelea*) — Flocks consume large amounts of grains
- **Symbiotic with:** water fern (*Azolla filiculoides*) — Fixes nitrogen in paddy water

## Traits

- [Grain Crop](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grain-crop): This human use trait denotes species cultivated as grain crops, harvested for their edible dry seeds (grains), which are a staple food source.
- [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.

## Collections

- [Grasses](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/grasses)
- [Grasses, Shrubs & Bushes](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/grasses-shrubs-and-bushes)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Explore with care and ask an adult if you’re unsure what to do.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Rice?

Compare seed heads, stem shape, how leaves attach, and the joint where leaf meets stem. A patch of mown lawn rarely shows enough for an exact ID. Grass Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Rice?

60-180 cm

### How wide does Rice spread?

15-30 cm

### How big are the flowers on Rice?

0.2-0.3 cm

### When does Rice bloom?

Summer to fall

### Is Rice edible?

Yes

### Is Rice toxic?

None

### What is Rice's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Botanischer Garten (Solingen)](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/botanischer-garten-solingen) — Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Park
- [Yoshinogari Historical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/yoshinogari-historical-park) — Kyushu, JP · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Rice: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rice)