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American long-grain rice plants
Rice
is the
seed
of the
monocot
plants
Oryza sativa
or
Oryza glaberrima
. As a
cereal grain
, it is the most important
staple food
for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East and South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies. It is the grain with the second-highest worldwide production, after maize (corn).
Since a large portion of maize crops are grown for purposes other than human consumption, rice is the most important grain with regard to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one fifth of the
calories
consumed worldwide by the human species.
Rice is normally grown as an
annual plant
, although in tropical areas it can survive as a
perennial
and can produce a
ratoon
crop for up to 30 years. The rice plant can grow to 1?1.8 m (3.3?5.9 ft) tall, occasionally more depending on the variety and soil fertility. It has long, slender leaves 50?100 cm (20?39 in) long and 2?2.5 cm (0.79?0.98 in) broad. The small
wind-pollinated
flowers are produced in a branched arching to pendulous
inflorescence
30?50 cm (12?20 in) long. The edible seed is a grain (
caryopsis
) 5?12 mm (0.20?0.47 in) long and 2?3 mm (0.079?0.118 in) thick. (
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