No. 133
Wild rice
Zizania aquatica
annual wild rice, southern wild rice
Nut & seed ripe grain (dried, parched and hulled, then cooked)
Drawing: Britton & Brown, Illustrated Flora (1913)
Sources disagree. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center warns that wild rice contains a toxic alkaloid in the bulb and foliage, but wild rice has no bulb; USDA and the US Forest Service name no toxin in the plant, and USDA reports cattle and deer grazing its leaves and stalks.
- Find
- Patchy
- Effort
- Project
- ID risk
- Careful
- Origin
- native
Season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
in season peak
Picking: The rules are unclear. Ask the park. See Where you may pick.
What these mean
Find
1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.
Effort
1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.
ID risk
How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.
Native or not, and the invader stars
Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.
Seasons
Start, peak and end are given in thirds of a month: early, mid or late. A plant counts as in season for a month if it is in season at any point in that month. Some greens and roots have a second window, in spring or fall; their page shows each window. A season that runs across New Year is shown as one window.
What it looks like
A native annual grass of freshwater tidal marshes, 3 to 10 feet tall (USDA). Its large flower head carries upright female flowers on the upper branches and hanging male flowers below them (USDA; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center). The grains are narrow cylinders about 0.5 to 1 inch long, mostly black, inside papery husks with bristly hairs and bristle tips (USDA); Nature’s Restaurant describes them as purple-black inside thin brown husks. The grains ripen a few at a time and fall at the slightest touch, so the plants are picked more than once (USDA; Nature’s Restaurant). This is the native eastern wild rice, not the same species as most wild rice sold in stores, which is mostly northern wild rice (Anacostia Watershed Society). Wild rice was a dietary staple of the Nacotchtank, the native people who once lived along the Anacostia (Anacostia Watershed Society).
Safety
Ergot is the main danger: a fungus (Claviceps zizaniae) can infect wild rice grains, and infected grains are poisonous and can be deadly if eaten (USDA). Infected grains are purple, pink or reddish and usually enlarged but similar in shape to healthy grains, so look over every harvest and throw out any such grains (USDA). Do not eat wild rice from the Anacostia River: the Anacostia Watershed Society, which restored the stands there, says the wild rice around the river "is not edible given the toxins it can pass along to people", and DC’s Department of Energy & Environment names PCBs as the main contaminant in the river’s sediments. Wild rice grain can also carry heavy metals: a US Geological Survey study found that arsenic and lead in wild rice from northern Wisconsin were elevated and could pose a problem for human health, so gather only from clean water (Nature’s Restaurant). The leaves have sharp, finely toothed edges that can break the skin (USDA). The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s page for this plant warns of a toxic alkaloid "present in the bulb and foliage"; wild rice is a grass with no bulb, and USDA and the US Forest Service name no toxin in the plant, so this warning is unconfirmed. No toxic lookalike is named; northern wild rice, the species usually sold in stores, is also edible (Go Botany; Anacostia Watershed Society). Northern wild rice is not recorded near DC.
Lookalikes
Northern wild rice Zizania palustris harmless (may be edible)
Go Botany names northern wild rice as the plant southern wild rice is sometimes confused with: its upper (female) flower branches are usually tightly ascending, while southern wild rice has loosely ascending upper branches. Northern wild rice is the species most wild rice in stores comes from (Anacostia Watershed Society; University of Minnesota), so a mix-up is not dangerous. Northern wild rice is not recorded near DC.
- Zizania aquatica (southern wild rice) Go Botany (Native Plant Trust)
- Harvesting Wild Rice: Connecting Past, Present and Future (August 28, 2019) Anacostia Watershed Society
- Wild Rice Facts (Kimball Lab) University of Minnesota, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
Safety flags
Contamination
Wild rice grain from many parts of the world has been found to carry elevated heavy metals, and in northern Wisconsin its arsenic and lead were high enough to pose a problem for human health (US Geological Survey). The Anacostia Watershed Society says wild rice around the Anacostia River is not edible because of the toxins it can pass along to people; the river’s sediments are contaminated mainly with PCBs (DC Department of Energy & Environment). Gather only from clean water (Nature’s Restaurant).
- Heavy metals in wild rice from northern Wisconsin (Bennett et al., Science of the Total Environment 246, 2000), abstract US Geological Survey Publications Warehouse
- Zizania aquatica: The Other Wild Rice and The Anacostia River’s Hidden Treasure (July 30, 2024) Anacostia Watershed Society
- Anacostia River Sediment Project fact sheet (August 2019) DC Department of Energy & Environment
- Rice (Wild, Native Species) (D. G. Mills) Nature’s Restaurant: A Complete Wild Food Guide
Safety marks and flags: what this means
Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.
- ID risk
- Careful
- Why
- No toxic lookalike plant is named; northern wild rice, the only plant it is said to be confused with, is also edible (Go Botany). Northern wild rice is not recorded near DC. But poisonous ergot grains end up in the harvest unless removed: they are purple, pink or reddish and usually larger than healthy grains of the same shape (USDA), so every batch must be looked over.
- Soil risk
- low
ID risk: what this means
How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.
Soil risk: what this means
Based on the part you eat, following the urban-soil lead guidance on the Field safety page: higher for greens, shoots and roots; moderate for flowers; low for fruit, nuts and sap.
Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)
When to pick
- Starts
- late Aug
- Peak
- early Sep–late Sep
- Ends
- late Sep
The Anacostia Watershed Society collects wild rice seed between August and September and calls late August its seed-collection time; heads bagged then ripen over the next few weeks. On Maryland’s Patuxent River, seed normally develops by late August, and large flocks of red-winged blackbirds arrive as early as mid August to feed on it (US Geological Survey study). USDA says the grain is usually ready at the end of August or in September, and the US Forest Service gives late August and early September for ripening. The grains ripen a few at a time over two to three weeks and fall at the slightest touch (USDA), so a stand can be visited more than once.
How the dates were worked out
Every start, peak and end was re-checked in October 2026. “Sourced” means a source opened during the check states that timing for the DC or Mid-Atlantic area. “Estimated” means no source states it exactly; the reason, the evidence and the source links are under “How the dates were worked out” on each plant’s page. Peaks are often estimated, because few sources name a peak. iNaturalist evidence means research-grade sightings near DC, by month, of the plant at that stage (for example, in fruit). iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.
Season basis: estimated: peak
Start
sourced
Peak
estimated: No source names a best month for the DC area; September is when the heads the Anacostia Watershed Society bags in late August finish ripening, and falls inside USDA’s 'end of August or in September'.
End
sourced
Evidence
start: Anacostia Watershed Society (DC): 'Late August is ALWAYS seed collection time, specifically for wild rice.' US Geological Survey study on the Patuxent River (Maryland): grazed plants' 'seed development was delayed from late August until mid September', i.e. seed normally develops by late August; red-winged blackbirds feed on the seed from 'as early as mid August'. US Forest Service: seeds 'ripen in late August and early September'. | peak: Anacostia Watershed Society: heads are bagged in late August and 'Over the next few weeks, the seeds will fully ripen and fall off – into the bags.' and 'Collecting seeds between August and September, which are stored in refrigerators over winter.' USDA: 'this usually occurs at the end of August or in September'. US Forest Service: 'late August and early September'. | end: Anacostia Watershed Society (DC): 'Collecting seeds between August and September, which are stored in refrigerators over winter.' USDA: 'this usually occurs at the end of August or in September'; harvesting 'may last a period of 2-3 weeks'. Nature’s Restaurant: 'Season: August & September'.
- Harvesting Wild Rice: Connecting Past, Present and Future (August 28, 2019) Anacostia Watershed Society
- Herbivory by resident geese: the loss and recovery of wild rice along the tidal Patuxent River (Haramis & Kearns, Journal of Wildlife Management, 2007; author manuscript) US Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (hosted by Maryland DNR)
- Annual Wildrice (Zizania aquatica L. or Zizania palustris L.), Celebrating Wildflowers plant of the week (S. Trull) USDA Forest Service
- Zizania aquatica: The Other Wild Rice and The Anacostia River’s Hidden Treasure (July 30, 2024) Anacostia Watershed Society
- Plant Guide for annual wildrice (Zizania aquatica) (Snell, 2024) USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cape May Plant Materials Center
- Rice (Wild, Native Species) (D. G. Mills) Nature’s Restaurant: A Complete Wild Food Guide
Where to look
Freshwater tidal marshes along the Anacostia and Potomac: logged most at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, where the marsh was rebuilt and the rice replanted, and on the Virginia shore along the Mount Vernon Trail, at Dyke Marsh and on Theodore Roosevelt Island. All of these are look-only National Park Service land, and the Anacostia Watershed Society says Anacostia wild rice is not safe to eat. Wild rice grain is ambiguous on the C&O Canal and in Virginia state parks (ask the park first); otherwise pick only on private land with clean water, with the owner’s permission.
- Habitats
- wetlands, marshes & pond edges
Habitats: what this means
Listed where the plant’s own sources place it in that habitat. “Disturbed ground & waste places” means a cited source places it on disturbed areas, sites, soil or ground, on waste places or waste ground, on construction or abandoned building sites (old home sites count), on rubble or in strip mines. When the source gives examples of the disturbed places, at least one example must be of that kind. Examples that do not count: natural or forestry disturbance (treefall gaps, fire, windthrow, flood scour, old riverbanks and creeks, clear-cuts); roadsides, railroads and rights-of-way; and abandoned fields, pastures and farmland, which are “Old fields & meadows”. “Vacant lots” only where a source says vacant or empty lots.
Most-logged places
None of the most-logged places allows picking.
No picking here (5 places)
- Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
Look but don’t pick: Kenilworth is a NACE site that is not on the compendium’s list of gathering areas.
- Mount Vernon Trail
Look but don’t pick: GW Memorial Parkway sites (incl. Great Falls VA, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Dyke Marsh) designate nothing for gathering.
- Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve
Look but don’t pick: GW Memorial Parkway sites (incl. Great Falls VA, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Dyke Marsh) designate nothing for gathering.
- Theodore Roosevelt Island
Look but don’t pick: GW Memorial Parkway sites (incl. Great Falls VA, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Dyke Marsh) designate nothing for gathering.
- Piscataway Park
Look but don’t pick: a NACE gathering site, but this item is not on the compendium’s list.
Most-logged places: what this means
The places with the most research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km of downtown DC (re-counted in October 2026 over every named place, campuses, condominiums and private grounds included), each marked legal to pick or not. A sighting inside several named places counts once, for the smallest of them, but a sighting inside a National Park Service park never counts for a private, campus or unchecked place. iNaturalist shows where people walk and log plants, not true abundance. Private campuses, condominiums, museums, estates and utility land (Pepco’s power-line land near Sligo Creek) are marked “no” (pick only with the owner’s permission); public university campuses, city parks and other places whose picking rules were not checked (county stormwater land, the U.S. Capitol Grounds, Greenbelt’s North Woods, federal facilities such as the National Zoo) are “unknown”. A place needs at least 2 sightings, so plants with very few sightings have no places. At-risk plants (butternut, nannyberry, American chestnut, ramps, riverbank goldenrod) get places like every other plant; each page says why the plant is at risk and gives any advice its sources give. For some places, mostly Rock Creek Park, the iNaturalist map shows more sightings than the count here, because a map link cannot leave out exactly the sightings credited to another place. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.
Where you may pick
On National Park Service land around DC (Rock Creek Park and other NPS units, including Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, Anacostia Park and the GW Memorial Parkway’s Dyke Marsh and Theodore Roosevelt Island) removing plants or plant parts is prohibited unless the park designates them, and 36 CFR 2.1(c) lets a park designate only fruits, berries and nuts; no NPS unit near DC names wild rice among the items it allows, and Rock Creek’s compendium also bars gathering fruits, nuts, berries, seeds, mushrooms or cut greenery. The C&O Canal allows edible fruits, nuts and berries generally but sets no limit for wild rice, and Virginia state parks allow edible fruits, berries, fungi or nuts for personal use (4VAC5-30-50); neither says whether a grain such as wild rice counts, so ask the park first. Get permission before picking in county or regional parks or on private land. The wild rice on the Anacostia is a restoration: the Anacostia Watershed Society has sown it since 2004 and continues to map the stands, collect their seed and plant more rice. The grain is a valuable food for waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds (USDA), including the migrating rails and blackbirds that feed in the Anacostia stands (Anacostia Watershed Society). In the traditional canoe harvest many grains are knocked into the water, which reseeds the bed for the next year (US Forest Service).
- C&O Canal NHP (incl. Great Falls MD, trail-side only)
C&O 2026 compendium 2.1(c)(1): 'Edible fruits, nuts, berries, and mushrooms may be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption.' The limits table that follows does not list wild rice. A grain is botanically a fruit, but the compendium does not say whether a grass’s grain counts as an 'edible fruit' or nut. Labeled ambiguous, as for ginkgo seeds, velvetleaf seeds and sweet clover seeds. Confirm with the park.
- Virginia State Parks
4VAC5-30-50 bars gathering any plant without a permit, except that edible fruits, berries, fungi or nuts may be collected for personal or individual use; 'edible fruits'. A wild rice grain is botanically a fruit, but it is eaten as a cereal and the rule bars taking plants; whether a grass’s grain counts as an edible fruit is not addressed. Labeled ambiguous, as for velvetleaf and sweet clover seeds. Confirm with the park.
Where you may pick: what this means
For each park system: “yes” where its current rules (the park’s compendium or regulation) allow this plant or part, with the limit; “ambiguous” where the wording may or may not cover it, so ask the park; “no” where it is not allowed. Rock Creek Park, the GW Parkway sites (including Great Falls VA and Theodore Roosevelt Island), the National Mall, Montgomery and Prince George’s parks, Maryland state parks, and Fairfax and Arlington parks prohibit picking. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts allows blackberries and raspberries (one gallon per person per day) and chestnuts (one gallon per person per day). National Park Service rules are reissued every year; other parks change theirs from time to time, so check the park’s current rules. The Where you may pick page has every park’s rules.
Ways to use it
- cooked like rice, by boiling for 30 to 40 minutes once parched and hulled (US Forest Service)
- mixed into brown rice at 10 to 20% and cooked as for the brown rice (Nature’s Restaurant)
- used to thicken stews of venison, fish and fowl, a traditional Ojibwe use (USDA)
- steamed and mixed with sugar and cream for breakfast, a traditional Ojibwe dish (USDA)
- parched grain carried as a convenient food on long trips, a traditional Ojibwe use (USDA)
- harvest from a canoe by bending the heads over the boat and tapping the ripe grain off with a stick; plants ripen unevenly, so a stand can be picked more than once (USDA; Nature’s Restaurant)
Keeping
Dry the fresh grain within a few days, then parch and hull it; the finished grain keeps 4 months to a year airtight in a cool, dark place.
- Use within
- within a few days
- Keeps fresh
- Freshly gathered grain is moist: take it home and dry it well, a few days in dry sun or about a week in a warm, dry place for a small amount, before parching (Nature’s Restaurant). Once parched and hulled, keep it like other dried foods, airtight in a cool, dry, dark place (general guidance for dried foods; NCHFP).
- Keeping basis
- general guidance for its type
Ways to keep it
Dry as researched: dry/dehydrate; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)
Parching dries the grain and loosens the hulls (University of Minnesota); roast slowly at about 250°F until the husks are light gold-brown, without burning (Nature’s Restaurant). USDA’s purchase standard for commercial wild rice requires less than 10 percent moisture. NCHFP: dried foods should be stored in cool, dry, dark areas, and recommended storage times range from 4 months to 1 year.
Canning: what this means
Shelf-stable canning, three levels. Lab-tested: a lab-tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) or Oregon State covers this fruit and product, or a generic recipe for its kind (the line says so, for example chokeberry). Extension recipe: a published Extension recipe (University of Alaska Fairbanks, written for Alaska species; University of Maine’s dandelion jelly), or a process that is safe only with a pH meter; follow it exactly, never improvise. No tested recipe: refrigerate or freeze, don’t can. “Hot-bottled syrup” = maple and walnut syrup, which keep when bottled hot at full syrup density. The Canning line names the exact product each source covers, for example “whole berries” or “juice”; a product not named there (such as juice from a berry with only a whole-berry recipe) has no tested recipe.
Keeping basis: what this means
“Specific to this plant” or “general guidance for its type” (for example NCHFP guidance for leafy greens applied to a wild green).
Nutrition
Not researched: in October 2026, only the calendar’s plants of the month and chicory leaves were researched.
Native or not
- Origin
- native
- Native range
- eastern US and most southern Canadian provinces (per USDA)
- Virginia invasive rank
- not listed
- Maryland invasive status
- not listed
Native or not, and the invader stars: what this means
Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.
Virginia DCR, Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective September 2024), verbatim: "Under the DCR Invasive Species Assessment Protocol, approved by the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, January 2024, species were ranked as exhibiting high, medium or low levels of invasiveness based on their threat to natural communities and native species. Invasiveness rank is higher for species that: • Alter ecosystem processes, such as succession, hydrology or fire regime. • Are capable of invading undisturbed natural communities. • Cause substantial impacts on rare or vulnerable species or natural communities or high-quality examples of more common communities. • Are found widely distributed and generally abundant where present. • Disperse readily to new areas. • Are difficult to control." The list also states: "The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority."
Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations page, verbatim: "Plants on the Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List may not be added to stock after the effective date and should not be sold after their phase-out period ends."
No official DC invasive plant list was found.
How the ratings were set
- Find
- Patchy Estimate 222 = 149 research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km + 62 needs-ID sightings counted in full (annual wild rice is the only Zizania with research-grade sightings here) + 11 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 3 by count (rule B). Rule D does not apply: the Anacostia Watershed Society says wild rice "began declining in the 1800s" on the Anacostia, but that is history, not present scarcity: the same page reports "a wild rice bonanza" there since 2020, and the Virginia plant atlas calls it "Locally common in estuarine zones of the Coastal Plain". Final tier 3.
- Effort
- Project Paddle a canoe into the marsh and tap the ripe grain off over a tarp, dry it for a few days, parch it slowly (about 250°F in the oven, or in a kettle over a fire) until the husks turn light gold-brown, rub or tread the husks loose, winnow away the chaff, pick out any ergot grains, and boil for 30 to 40 minutes; the boat and the several processing stages make it a project.
Find: what this means
1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.
Effort: what this means
1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.
Sources
31 sources, each linked to the original.
- Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
- 36 CFR 2.1 - Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (text of federal regulation)Backs up: picking rules
- 4VAC5-30-50. Flowers, plants, minerals, etc. Virginia Law Library (law.lis.virginia.gov)Backs up: picking rules
- National Capital Parks-East 2026 Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
- George Washington Memorial Parkway Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
- C&O Canal NHP Superintendent’s Compendium, effective September 11, 2026 National Park Service, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHPBacks up: picking rules
- Plant Guide for annual wildrice (Zizania aquatica) (Snell, 2024) USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cape May Plant Materials CenterBacks up: description, habitat, uses, safety, season, picking rules, native or invasive status
- Zizania aquatica (Annual wildrice) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterBacks up: description, safety
- Harvesting Wild Rice: Connecting Past, Present and Future (August 28, 2019) Anacostia Watershed SocietyBacks up: description, season, safety
- Rice (Wild, Native Species) (D. G. Mills) Nature’s Restaurant: A Complete Wild Food GuideBacks up: description, uses, season, safety, keeping
- Wild Rice Harvesting Techniques (Kimball Lab) University of Minnesota, Department of Agronomy and Plant GeneticsBacks up: effort & ID risk, keeping
- iNaturalist research-grade observations of Zizania aquatica within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: findability
- Zizania aquatica (wild rice), Native Plant Center Alliance for the Chesapeake BayBacks up: habitat
- Reconstruction of Anacostia wetlands: success? (Hammerschlag, 2002), abstract US Geological SurveyBacks up: habitat
- Zizania aquatica: The Other Wild Rice and The Anacostia River’s Hidden Treasure (July 30, 2024) Anacostia Watershed SocietyBacks up: habitat, description, safety, season, picking rules, findability
- Zizania aquatica L. var. aquatica (Wild Rice) (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora) Virginia Botanical Associates (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora)Backs up: habitat, native or invasive status, findability
- Commercial Item Description: Wild Rice (A-A-20316) USDA Agricultural Marketing ServiceBacks up: keeping
- Packaging and Storing Dried Foods National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia)Backs up: keeping
- USDA PLANTS Database: Zizania aquatica (ZIAQ), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
- Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
- Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
- Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
- Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
- Heavy metals in wild rice from northern Wisconsin (Bennett et al., Science of the Total Environment 246, 2000), abstract US Geological Survey Publications WarehouseBacks up: safety
- Anacostia River Sediment Project fact sheet (August 2019) DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: safety
- Wild Rice Facts (Kimball Lab) University of Minnesota, Department of Agronomy and Plant GeneticsBacks up: safety details
- Zizania aquatica (southern wild rice) Go Botany (Native Plant Trust)Backs up: safety, effort & ID risk, safety details
- Herbivory by resident geese: the loss and recovery of wild rice along the tidal Patuxent River (Haramis & Kearns, Journal of Wildlife Management, 2007; author manuscript) US Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (hosted by Maryland DNR)Backs up: season
- iNaturalist research-grade observations of Zizania aquatica within 25 km of Washington, DC, by month (annotated fruiting) iNaturalistBacks up: season
- Annual Wildrice (Zizania aquatica L. or Zizania palustris L.), Celebrating Wildflowers plant of the week (S. Trull) USDA Forest ServiceBacks up: season, uses, safety, picking rules