Compare the leaf tips and the leaf veins. There are about 250 species of Xyris world-wide. They occur at the tops of very long stalks . Flowers are usually yellow or sometimes white, with three petals. Two to several leaves arise from the roots.
Leaves can be from four inches to two feet long.
It's yellow to reddish grains are edible. W ild-rice grows to ten feet tall. It's stems are thick and spongy. It's leaves are flat and strap-like, and up to two inches wide. The leaf is typically three to four feet long.