Knowra Oryza glaberrima Oryza glaberrima Oryza glaberrima is African rice, a species domesticated in West Africa and adapted to local environments, including drought-prone uplands and seasonally flooded wetlands.
African rice domestication : The process by which people in West Africa domesticated Oryza glaberrima from wild African rice. This species emerged through an independent domestication process in West Africa.
Oryza : A genus of grasses that includes cultivated rice species and their wild relatives. Oryza glaberrima is one of the genus’s two principal domesticated rice species.
Upland rice : Rice grown in fields that are not flooded, relying mainly on rainfall or irrigation. African rice can thrive in upland conditions where some Asian rice varieties perform poorly.
African rice : The common name for Oryza glaberrima, a domesticated rice species native to West Africa. This common name identifies the crop and distinguishes it from Asian rice.
Oryza barthii : A wild African rice species regarded as the principal ancestor of Oryza glaberrima. Genetic and botanical evidence connects this wild species to African rice domestication.
Poaceae : The grass family, a diverse plant family that includes cereals, forage grasses, and bamboos. African rice belongs to the grass family alongside other major cereal crops.
Rainfed lowland rice : Rice grown in low-lying fields supplied by rainfall, with water levels that may fluctuate. The species is cultivated in seasonally flooded environments as well as uplands.
Rice in Africa : The cultivation, trade, and consumption of rice across the African continent. The spread of Asian rice altered the relative importance of African rice in cultivation.
Niger River Delta : A vast river delta in West Africa, centered in present-day Mali, shaped by seasonal flooding. Archaeological evidence places early African rice cultivation in this region.
Domestication : The process by which human selection changes wild organisms into populations adapted to human use. Selection for harvestability and cultivation shaped African rice from its wild ancestor.
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