All life is grass, or something like that. In this case, the grass takes the shape of rice, an incredibly adaptable and variable type of grass. Although there are only two main species that are cultivated, Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima, each of these has many different strains. In fact, it is so variable in appearance and habit that it is almost impossible to give a general description. Nobody really knows how many different strains of rice there are. Estimates range from 140 000 to 200 000, and they come in all kinds of sizes, colours and forms.