policeman's helmet

English

Etymology

From the shape of the flower.

Noun

policeman's helmet

  1. (UK, uncountable) The invasive plant Impatiens glandulifera, native to the Himalayas.
    Synonym: Himalayan balsam
    • 2008, Bradford Angier, Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants‎[1], Stackpole Books, →ISBN:
      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.
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see policeman,‎ helmet.

Translations

Further reading

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.