Mark’s now living in the “frozen north” so his acers have much more of a chance! I agree about the drought though - most of ours are planted under bigger trees …
That’s interesting! What about the flowers though? They are green not yellow and very big and much earlier than wikipedia suggests? What do you think? If they really are recalcitrant biennials, I’d better get some seed/cuttings because I like this one a lot - so dramatic and, as @mark said, triffid-like…
One biologist told me that she regularly came across doubledecker-sized colonies of knotweed during her fieldwork in northern France.
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Sobering reading for me. We are doing well though, 7 Years on and we literally have only had a very few pop up this year. This was maybe a 10x10 m patch when we arrived.
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Moved from general to gardening hope that doesn’t upset anyone!
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I’m still puzzled about my plant - not that I don’t accept @Griffin36 's helpful suggestion, as I quite see it looks like it’s right - but now I’m thinking “however did I get given a cutting of that?” Doesn’t look like cuttings of mine are possible (or even desirable if it’s a biennial) and I was given it mid August by the lady hosting an open garden before Covid. 
Ah well - back to the bramble clearing…
There are several stands of knotweed on the road to Cluny and it is seen at the roadside in our area.
I am sure that it is spread by the use of fauchage, small bits of the plant sticking to the cutters and wheels of tractors.
There is one place where it is on the lane up to the Chasse’s hut where they are making some attempt to spray, but back it comes and it is already on the opposite side of the road.
It could be Ladies mantle which is an alchemilla.
I don’t think they grow to 6ft high though! Silly me didn’t really show anything that would give scale to the photo 
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Was it a cutting or a small plant from seed.
It was definitely a cutting - I would understand if she’d given me a little plant or even some seeds! As I say, it was a few years back - it’s been in its current spot a couple of years but I brought it on in a pot before that…
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The Houseplant website said it was Angelica atropurpurea as first choice and then what @Griffin36 said next. As the first is US my votes on him!
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It’s certainly spectacular and I am disappointed that it is probably a biennial. I was hoping to see it next year as well. Ah well, I shall wait for the seeds to ripen and see if I can grow some from them. Mt experiences with sowing seeds are, it has to be said, erratic
In case someone has this and is wondering what it is…
The dangerous giant hogweed looks harmless enough, similar to cow parsley with its long stems bearing large umbrellas of white flowers. However, within its coarse haired stems and purple blotchy leaves the giant hogweed harbours toxin-bearing sap. It can grow up to 4 metres in height, and the heads 2 metres wide
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More in northern France than southern. But this shows how to distinguish it for those who don’t know. Once seen, never forgotten.
Giant Hogweed Identification - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation.
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Excellent link… cheers.
However, plants, birds and so much of the natural world… they simply don’t stay put… 
In recent years (certainly before covid)… we had warnings in our local Press and via the various Mairies…
Folk were put on Giant Hogweed high-alert to “seek and destroy…”.
I vaguely remember Genesis did a song about Giant Hogweed (probably about 50 years ago🤔)
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Same on the country road into work just outside one of the villages. Frankly, I don’t think the cantonniers have a clue how to get rid of it - they just cut it down with the hedge/verge cutter, and then it spreads even more and grows rampant. That said, I’d never noticed until last year what a magnificent display of flower heads it can provide if left to grow ! The spread is getting worse though.
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