Rice

Rice (Oryza sativa is the most important cereal crop in the developing world and is the staple food of over half the world’s population. It is generally considered a semi-aquatic annual grass plant. About 20 species of the genus Oryza are recognized, but nearly all cultivated rice is O. sativa L. A small amount of Oryza glaberrima, a perennial species, is grown in Africa. So-called “wild rice” (Zizania aquatica), grown in the Great Lakes region of the United States, is more closely related to oats than to rice.