Rice, like wheat, is an annual cycle grass, this means that it is sowed in springtime and it ripens, according to the different varieties, between September and October. The plant reaches a 80-150 cm height and it takes 5 months, on average, to ripen. In some hot and wet countries, it is possible to have more than one harvest a year.

But, have you ever wonder how a rice plant springs up?

Rice plant springs up from the seed, also called grain or caryopsis, which is the fruit of this plant variety.

Rice seed is an embryo and contains all the minerals, plant needs, during the first growing phase. As soon as it is sowed, seed soaks, from the soil, an amount of water, just to "explode".
Then roots spring up and stretch downward and fasten the plant to the soil. At the same time, stem stretches upward.
This phase is called germination and it is just at this moment, that chlorophyllose photosyntesis process starts.

Also leaves will slowly spring up. At this stage, plant starts growing and developing, and it also starts soaking, from the soil, the other mineral salts it needs to grow in size.

In summer, a florescence, also called spike, springs up from the plant.
It contains 100-150 small spikes, which have a blossom at the top. Blossom unfolds about 90 days after seed's germination.

Then, each blossom is turned into a seed.