Is this japanese knotweed or what is it?!

NameUnavailable

A friend mentioned this weed/plant growing near their house and how it grows back so quickly - I jokingly said to hope it's not Japanese Knotweed and then we started looking at it more closely! It doesn't seem to match the descriptions I've read but has some similarities. The obvious thing are the red thorns on the stalks, but I'm no gardener and have no idea what plant it is - any ideas out there? TIA

Shambolic2020

Cannibis plant


Joking
Maybe pig weed 

MovingForwards

@Davesnave may be able to assist.

It's definitely not JK.

jimbog

Not JK so relax!

Sterlingtimes

I have asked the question for you on a specialist site. It appears to be false acacia, Robinia pseudacacia.

NeverTooLate

Sterlingtimes said:

I have asked the question for you on a specialist site. It appears to be false acacia, Robinia pseudacacia.

Agreed, we used to have one in our front garden, those thorns are lethal.

martindow

Sterlingtimes said:

I have asked the question for you on a specialist site. It appears to be false acacia, Robinia pseudacacia.

Which grows into a sizeable tree which you do not want if it is near the house.  I believe you can eat the blossoms which are sweet as they are full of nectar.

NameUnavailable

Sterlingtimes said:

I have asked the question for you on a specialist site. It appears to be false acacia, Robinia pseudacacia.

Thank you! That does appear to be the same (just googled some images and it has the red thorns). It's odd as this is very much like a weed/plant. I can put my mates mind at rest although I think he will want to remove it from taking over the garden! The bush is growing next to a small tree on the pavement and smaller shoots have started coming up on his lawn.

Davesnave

MovingForwards said:

@Davesnave may be able to assist.
It's definitely not JK.

Not this time. At 16.30 I was in the middle of a field, getting wet.

But yes, I thought 'Robinia' when I saw it, though I'd have checked, as I've only grown 'Frisia,' which had an uncanny knack of dying before becoming a real nuisance!

MovingForwards

It's been welly weather up here the last few days too @Davesnave I'm sure your field appreciated the TLC 😁

nyermen

There are a lot of plants that look quite similar to JKW.  When I first bought my place (FTB) my overactive imagination had every weed I found worrying my brain.  I'm lucky to be dating an expert in plant pests who works for defra who can keep me calm
(though it has its downsides, try going for a walk in the countryside, it feels like every other plant she sees she points at and says "DOOMED!")