policeman's helmet en · NOUN
Etymology
From the shape of the flower.
Meanings
-
(UK, uncountable) The invasive plant Impatiens glandulifera, native to the Himalayas.
Of the nonnative species, only the policeman's helmet (I. glandulifera) has a similar floral structure, though its flowers are normally purple to blue and occasionally white; its leaves and stems can be used similarly to our native species.
2008, Bradford Angier, Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants, Stackpole Books, →ISBN:
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see policeman, helmet.