Broadleaf Rice

Description

Oryza latifolia is a clump-forming perennial grass with erect culms. There are different forms of the plant, with some forms growing less than 1 metre tall and others growing more than 2 metres. Because they are a source of resistance to, or tolerance of, biotic and abiotic stresses, the most important use of the various species of wild rice is probably in breeding programmes to improve the species of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa, Oryza glaberrima). Open or semi-open habitats in low forest; rainforest; secondary forest; open woodland; undulating savannah pasture; cultivated fields; open swamps; usually in or near water such as streams, river banks and pool edges; at elevations to 700 metres