Editing Rice (section)

== Description ==

The rice plant can grow to over {{cvt|1|m|ft|0}} tall; if in deep water, it can reach a length of {{cvt|5|m|ft|0}}. From seed to harvest, it takes about six months.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/easy-ways-enjoy-whole-grains/grain-month-calendar/wild-rice-september-grain-month-0|title=Types of rice|website=Oldways Whole Grains Council|access-date=April 17, 2025|archive-date=January 17, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250117165613/https://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/easy-ways-enjoy-whole-grains/grain-month-calendar/wild-rice-september-grain-month-0|url-status=live}}</ref> A single plant may have several leafy stems or [[Tiller (botany)|tillers]]. The upright stem is jointed with [[Node (botany)|nodes]] along its length; a long slender leaf arises from each node.<ref name="RBG Kew botany">{{Cite web |title=Oryza sativa L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:316812-2/general-information |access-date=December 6, 2023 |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |archive-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180149/https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:316812-2/general-information |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Autogamy|self-fertile]] flowers are produced in a [[panicle]], a branched [[inflorescence]] which arises from the last internode on the stem. There can be up to 350 [[spikelet]]s in a panicle, each containing male and female flower parts ([[anther]]s and [[ovule]]). A fertilised ovule develops into the edible grain or [[caryopsis]].<ref name="Rice Hub">{{cite web |title=The Rice Plant |url=http://www.ricehub.org/RT/crop-establishment/-the-rice-plant/ |website=Rice Hub |access-date=December 6, 2023 |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205124935/http://www.ricehub.org/RT/crop-establishment/-the-rice-plant/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rice is a cereal belonging to the family [[Poaceae]]. As a [[Tropics|tropical]] crop, it can be grown during the two distinct seasons (dry and wet) of the year provided that sufficient water is made available.<ref name="Kawure Garba Fagam 2022">{{cite journal |last1=Kawure |first1=S. |last2=Garba |first2=A.A. |last3=Fagam |first3=A.S. |last4=Shuaibu |first4=Y.M. |last5=Sabo |first5=M.U. |last6=Bala |first6=R.A. |title=Performance of Lowland Rice (Oryza sativa L.) as Influenced by Combine Effect of Season and Sowing Pattern in Zigau |journal=Journal of Rice Research and Developments |date=31 December 2022 |volume=5 |issue=2 |doi=10.36959/973/440 |doi-access=free }}</ref> It is normally an annual, but in the tropics it can survive as a [[perennial]], producing a [[ratoon]] crop.<ref name="IRRI rice plant">{{Cite web |title=The Rice Plant and How it Grows |url=http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/riceIPM/IPM_Information/PestEcologyBasics/CropGrowthAndPestDamage/RicePlantHowItGrows/The_Rice_plant_and_How_it_Grows.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106224427/http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/riceIPM/IPM_Information/PestEcologyBasics/CropGrowthAndPestDamage/RicePlantHowItGrows/The_Rice_plant_and_How_it_Grows.htm |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |website=[[International Rice Research Institute]]}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed widths=200 heights=200>
File:Koeh-232.jpg|Anatomy of rice flowers: [[spikelet]] (left), plant with [[Tiller (botany)|tillers]] (centre), [[caryopsis]] (top right), [[panicle]] (right)
File:Oryza sativa of Kadavoor.jpg|Detail of rice plant showing flowers grouped in panicle. Male [[anther]]s protrude into the air where they can disperse their [[pollen]].
</gallery>