Note its alternate leaves and almost bamboo-like structure. Dead stems are tough and woody, becoming a fire hazard as the dead material is very combustible. The living plant is naturally very resistant to variations in soil pH and is happy growing in concrete, which it forces apart as it grows. The volcanic rock of its native homeland is in this part of Gloucesterahire replaced by clay and limestone: a moist and atractive environment indeed.
Given its natural efficiency at exploring and exploiting material weaknesses in igneous rock, then concrete, brick and tarmac are a figurative "walk in the park".