What plant is this please ?
I am a (very) novice gardener and was recently given this plant by a friend of mine that is a bit of a practical joker.
Can you help me identify this plant and also whether this plant is a weed or not ?
I would hate to spend loads of time caring for it if it's a known weed, although it would give my friend many hours of amusement if i did 
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Hmm - there are similarities to Japanese Knotweed, but I'm not sure .......... what do others think?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I don't think it's JKW. I think it's a shrub, though whether it's one you want, that's another thing altogether.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Practical joke? Not a very funny one if it is knotweed.
The kinked stem is similar but the leaves are a bit too pointy for knotweed I think.
Whatever you do don't put it in the ground till you find out for sure!!!
You could always play safe, throw it away and tell your friend - if asked - that it just died!
....and then get a new friend.
Thanks for all your replies. They're really appreciated.
Japanese Knot Weed ? Crikey ! Surely not. Even i have heard of that.
I'll play it safe though and get rid of it.
It's definitely not japanese knotweed. My next door neighbour has knotweed, so I'm happy to identify your plant as a shrub you might possibly want (philadelphus?? Really don't know...) but definitely not JKW.