1, shape: the shape of the leaves of the two have significant differences, cattail leaves are striped, 40 to 70 centimeters long, 0.4 to 0.9 centimeters wide, and the surface of the smooth and hairless, and the shape of the leaves of Zizania aquatica is needle-shaped, compared to the cattail is more elongated, 1 to 1.6 meters long, 3 to 4 centimeters wide, and the surface of the rougher.

2, family: cattail belongs to the order of cattail family, while wild rice belongs to the order of gramineae gramineae, showing the difference between the two in the botanical classification.