Believe it or not, wild rice really isn’t rice at all. In fact, it’s the seed of Zizania palustris, a tall, blooming water grass that prospers in shallow lakes, marshes and streams. It is the only cereal grain native to the North American continent. Wild rice is grown in the clean, clear waters of the Great Lakes region and in the fruitful western valleys in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada’s and the Cascade Mountains.