A Developmental Study of Wild Rice, Zizania Aquatica L.

The life history of wild rice is traced from the appearance of the first submersed leaves in the spring until the seed of this annual plant is buried at the bottom of a lake in the fall. The characteristics of the three types of leaves are discussed. The change from the simple vegetative apex to the many-tipped, young inflorescence occurs early. Thus the potential yield in rice grains is determined as the tips of the upright leaves reach the surface of the water and before the stem elongates. The inflorescence develops acropetally as does each spikelet. Only at the later stages can the pistillate and staminate spikelets be distinguished. The development of the microspores and the nuclear changes in the embryo sac have been elucidated. In Zizania the embryo development has been found to be a variant of that found in Poa while the endosperm develops chiefly from the outside. A well-differentiated abscission layer develops at the base of each spikelet.