In botany and zoology, describing structures (especially leaves or branches) that are arranged on opposite sides of a stem in an alternating pattern rather than opposite each other.
From French 'alterné' or Latin 'alternatus,' meaning 'alternating' or 'arranged alternately,' used as a technical term in botanical classification.
Leaves arranged 'alterne' (alternately) along a stem is actually more common in nature than opposite arrangement, yet we tend to notice opposite arrangements more because they're symmetrical and therefore more visually striking to human eyes.
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