Confirmation?

[your_comforting_company]

Found this plant while out checking our flags and making notes in our journals. At first it looked like Asclepias syriaca, but on closer inspection, the leaves were not at right angles to one another, nor did they taper to a rounded end. These were all along the same plane, and the plant grew horizontally. It was rooted in a bank off the trailside, which might explain it's horizontal growth, rather than erect.
Perhaps it is a different species?
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There were no flowers on it. Hope to go back this weekend and check it again. We flagged it and plotted the location in our journals for study.

[canid]

About the growth habbit: it could even have been nocked over by a boot or hoof at some point during it's growth.

It certainly looks a bit like a milkweed but below are two observations:

The petioles look a bit abrupt, which is not characteristic for common milkweed.

The leaf arrangement is not decussate, which is the case in all the milkweeds i know off the top of my head.

with a little searching, i find that the fist characteristic is seen in A. viridiflora, A. amplexicaulis and probably others.

flowers would definitely be a help, as would observation of the underside of the leaves, and adornment of the stems. they appear smooth in your picture, though i can't tell.

your plant looks awfully familiar to me for some reason or other, but no useful bells are ringing.

[gryffynklm]

I agree with Canid, it is a milk weed. I think its Asclepias humistrata (Walter) Sand Hills Milkweed

Photo from: http://everettj.people.cofc.edu/BIOL...ive%20List.htm
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Below Copied and pasted from http://www.monarchsacrossga.org/MAGmilkweed_in_ga.htmPlant Description: Many stalks that are spreading away from crown as the grow up,

20-70 cm long. Leaves are opposite; usually the plant has 5-8 pairs. Leaves are 6-10 cm long and 4-8 cm wide. The veins of the leaves are pink to lavender. Several flower clusters on top of the stem, flower color is rose to lavender. Flower clusters 3-6 cm wide. Seed pods are 10-14 cm long and 1.5-2 cm wide.

Bloom Period: May and June

Seeds: June and July

Habitat: Sand hills and sandy pine-oak woods

Range: Throughout coastal plain of Georgia, common

[your_comforting_company]

I did not realize it was so common! I would describe the stems as glaucous, and the underside of the leaves look basically just like the top, only a little lighter.
The underside picture that gryff posted is pretty darn accurate. I'll have to agree that it's A. humistrata, except that it only had one stalk and did not branch. It looked to be growing so perhaps it hasn't bloomed yet. I flagged it and put the location in my journal.
It really has that familiar milkweed appearance and textures, but being non-decussent and prostrate really threw me off. With no flowers to go by, I thought I'd toss it out for you guys. Thanks for the help. I'll keep researching in the Asclepiadaceae family for a match, but I think gryff nailed it.

[gryffynklm]

I cheated. I googled opposing leaves weeds georgia. Went to images and looked for a match. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

[Ted]

Well guys, I did a little searching through my books and it appears to me to be in the gentian family. Of course I'm not 100%, but I am 99% sure it's not in the milkweed family. Just throwing this out there.

[your_comforting_company]

It didn't work out where I could go back out there this weekend. been working on a few hides. I'll go back one day next week (gotta check a job out that way) and I'll see if it has flowers yet.
Gonna flip through my NWF book in the gentian family and see what I find. Thanks Ted.

[your_comforting_company]

A. humistrata is not listed on this site. But I found it on the UGA botany page. I say it STRONGLY resembles my mystery plant. Humistrata is the only one I could find pictures of that was not decussate and is mostly prostrate.

I have not been able to find anything close in the gentian family. Did you have a particular genus or species in mind, that I might check, Ted?

[Ted]

No Ycc, I was only throwing that family out there because your plant would appear to have clasping leaves. None of the milkweeds in any of my books have clasping leaves. Thats all I was going on, sorry bro!

[your_comforting_company]

No need to apologize! I learn something every time I research a plant, it seems. One can never learn too much It is good exercise!

[your_comforting_company]

I think a better description would be extremely short petioles as the base of the leaf is not actually connected to the plant stem. I believe that to be the defining factor in "clasping" and "short petioled". Perfoliate would look like the stem goes through the leaf, while clasping actually attaches in a sort of sheath.
Maybe I'll catch it with flowers on it. that will tell us for sure.

[Runs With Beer]

That is Purple Milkweed Asclepias humistrata Walter.

[your_comforting_company]

Thanks RWB. I'll check that out and fix the names on the pics.

[Runs With Beer]

Your Welcome. It is common around here.