Pickerelweed

Description:

Monocotyledonous aquatic plant native to the American continent. The plant flowers in late summer. The purple flowers have yellow markings which may assist in attracting bees for pollination. Two species known to pollinate the flowers are Melissodes apicata and Dufourea (Halictoides) novaeangliae. Once the plant begins to produce seeds, the stem supporting the infloresence bends to submerse the fruits and seeds. Seeds are dormant at the time of dispersal and will not germinate without stratification for 6-8 weeks. — Wikipedia

Habitat:

It grows in a variety of wetlands, including pond and lake margins across an extremely large range from eastern Canada south to Argentina. A few examples include northern rivers,[2] the Everglades[3] and Louisiana. — Wikipedia