noun
rice plant
Refers to the rice plant itself (Oryza sativa), not cooked rice or the grain.
田んぼに稲が青々と育っている。
The rice plants are growing lush and green in the paddy field.
秋になると稲が黄金色に実る。
In autumn, the rice plants ripen to a golden color.
Native Japanese word. The kanji 稲 is a phono-semantic compound with 禾 (grain) and the phonetic 旧, conventionally associated with the rice plant.