In botany, describing flowers where the petals are arranged alternately with the sepals rather than opposite to them.
From Latin 'alternare' (to alternate) plus 'petalum' (petal), forming a technical botanical term for a specific floral arrangement pattern.
Alternipetalous flowers represent a major evolutionary development in flowering plants—this arrangement allows for better pollinator access and more efficient pollen transfer than opposite arrangements, so it became dominant in many plant families.
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