The ecology and conservation of Wild Rice, Zizania palustris L., in North America

Abstract

Wild rice is an enigmatic plant species in the upper northern Midwestern U.S. Wild rice (Zizania palustris L.) is widespread in the region. However, it is both a wild species and a semi-domesticated crop. It is enigmatic because it is grown and harvested by machine in large paddies by commercial farmers but wild populations are considered to be important spiritually to native Americans in the United States. Native Americans and the public harvest wild rice by hand and sell and trade it on a local basis. This has caused a political controversy between people who consider wild rice to be a crop belonging only to native Indian bands and those who consider that it belongs to citizens of the U.S. Conservation of populations of wild rice has become politically difficult because of these contrasting views. This paper discusses this controversy and addresses the difficulty of conserving this economically widespread plant that is under ecological pressure in modern times.