Question: I have not seen it in the field but people I work with have brought it to me a few …
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Question
I have not seen it in the field but people I work with have brought it to me a few times in the last few weeks and I have been unable to identify it. The leaves are entire with scattered hairs on the underside. At every node there are two opposite leaves with a 'compound' leaf growing from the axil of just one of the leaves. The cut stem is very milky and sticky. Grows in dry relatively disturbed open habitat along the coast... seen with bayberry, beachgrass, and bittersweet.
Answer
Erin, the plant is a species of Apocynum (dogbane), most likely Apocynum androsaemifolium (spreading dogbane). This species has simple, opposite leaves that will exude a white latex when broken (as you noted). You can see images of the flowers on Go Botany: https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/apocynum/androsaemifolium/
