It’s about 5 foot tall.

Just spotted near me. Thanks for any replies.

Not knot weed, and don’t think it’s giant hogweed.

Hog weed, sorry!

Looks a bit like it though, shall I just chop it down?

That’s not giant hogweed, you’re fine. And if you ever get Japanese knotweed, don’t try and cut it down yourself. You’ll only make it worse. Get a professional and reputable contractor.

It’s cow parsley.

Giant hogweed is huge

Like stand back look up and think “**** me thats a big plant” the leaves are big and take the form of a sort of ragged rhubarb. It really does go out its way to loom and make itself look ominous to approach.

The stem is green a purple speckled.

Not giant hogweed is big but not so you think “wow its going to eat me” its stem is more consistently purple.

Knotweed is a different thing. Not dangerous infact its edible but its a bastard to get rid of and can be destructive. But its manageable and not the death sentence some people suggest if you don’t ignore it.

It’s cow parsley.

No it’s not, it’s fennel.

Looks like Cow Parsley to me, not Fennel (does it have little frond type leaves? If so, give them a rub and see if they smell of aniseed, if they do, it’s fennel)
Either way, that’s neither giant Hogweed nor Japanese Knotweed.
As above, giant Hogweed is genuinely giant. Like, massive.

Doesnt look like cow parley or hog weed, umbellifers are a bit tricky, I would need to see the leaves.

The test for Giant Hogweed is rub some sap on you and go sunbathing.

Used to love slicing the big hogweed as kids. Had to watch out for the sap when lower down the stem though as it used to pool.

it’s fennel

The test for Giant Hogweed is rub some sap on you and go sunbathing.

Our nipper picked up a rash much like this stuff produced, it lasted for weeks 🙁

That ain’t knot weed, giant hogweed or fennel.

Giant Hogweed burns it doesn’t cause a rash.

Looks like cow parsley to me too.

Giant Hogweed doesn’t burn – it renders the skin photosensitive so that sun light can cause serious burns from little exposure.

Yes that’s exactly how it burns derek.

Giant hogweed can be much smaller than you expect, identify it by having a look on the stem, little red dots by the hairs is what your looking for. But as above, doubt you have GH there…

Our nipper picked up a rash much like this stuff produced, it lasted for weeks 🙁

You may ofcourse already kniw this.

But you need to keep the area protected it can leave you photosensitive for ages.

Giant hogweed can be much smaller than you expect, identify it by having a look on the stem, little red dots by the hairs is what your looking for

Indeed, but I thought the red dots only become visible when it gets bigger?

Its also worth noting normal hogweed can cause blistering too, in fact all Heracleum species do I think

The leaves on giant hogweed are pointy  a bit like a milk thistle.

it’s still fennel

Fennel has yellow flowers.

its not knotweed as was mentioned already, but if you or anyone does get knotweed a strong mix of sbk brushweed killer knocks it on the head.

Fennel has yellow flowers.

sometimes.

the fennel in my garden looks exactly like that even to how the wilted old flower stems are decaying back.

Actually, now that I’ve bothered to look at the leaves it does indeed look like fennel. Does it smell of dill or fennel or neither?

Oh bugger! Yeah those look like fennel leaves.

Dig up the root, confit in olive oil, eat.

Is it tasty? Fennel
Have you died? Not fennel.

It’s about 5 foot tall.

Just spotted near me. Thanks for any replies.

That’ll be Tom Cruise

Funkmasterp wins t’interweb today

Needs moar Genesis

It’s a plant from the umbellifer family.

Not sure which one it is, however they are really good for insects.

Bruce’s partner who is botanically obsessed says it’s probably fennel (feathery leaves) and the reason that the flowers are not yellow is that they are the seed heads. Hog weed has very different leaves.

You may ofcourse already kniw this.

But you need to keep the area protected it can leave you photosensitive for ages

I do now (and have done for a while), but unfortunately we didn’t twig at the time that it might be a hogweed type thing as we don’t have hogweed (although we do have carrots and a slightly blue leaved thing that my wife insists is a decorative plant, might be common rue, both of which I since discover can cause this).

Despite completely missing all that, he was mostly in long sleeve tops for a short while after.

Fennel is part of the carrot family.

Cow parsley flowers in the spring and early summer, so not that. Could be fennel but it could be something else. They are all* in the carrot family (umbelliferae) but so is hemlock and hemlock water dropwort. Lots of wild carrot coming into flower now on the downs. And wild parsnip.

* excluding Japanese knotweed which is very different.

Still a lot of cow parsley around here in flower it’s dying off though but Twodogs may be right once I also paid attention to the leaves.

although we do have carrots and a slightly blue leaved thing that my wife insists is a decorative plant, might be common rue, both of which I since discover can cause this)

Do they really, i didnt know this. I often scrunch up and sniff wild carrot flowers, love the smell!!

Definitely fennel, but get somebody else to eat it first.

It won’t be cow parsley unless you’re in the southern hemisphere. Upright hedge parsley is still going currently – it takes over after cow parsley (along with hogweed – non giant kind) as the dominant umbellifer in most parts of the UK.

I agree probably fennel for the OP.