Do you know of a resource for getting wild rice stalks? My 5th grade class is reading The Birchbark House series by Louise Erdrich in which a native family gathers wild rice in Michigan. I'd like to be able to show the students the wild rice, use it to study parts of a plant, learn about adaptations of plants living in water and maybe even explore how to separate the grains from the plant. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you so much.
I’m not familiar with a source for the plant, but I did a Google search and found this site which might be what you’re looking for:
200PCS Rice Plant Non-GMO Heirloom High Disease Resistancehigh Yield Crop. plant | eBay
There appear to be a lot of options to purchase seeds, though. You may also try the Museum of Natural History, as this state-listed species has been found at Mentor Marsh.
Finally, if you are looking for an alternative plant to help your kids practice winnowing the grain, I would recommend wheat (straw) plants, which are plentiful this time of year.
Good luck!
-Naturalist Renell Roebuck
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