In botany, describing a compound leaf where the leaflets are arranged alternately on opposite sides of the central stem (rachis).
From Latin 'alternare' (to alternate) plus 'pinnatus' (feather-shaped), describing a specific type of compound leaf arrangement.
Ash trees and locust trees display alternipinnate leaves that look like tiny feathers—this arrangement actually reduces wind damage because the individual leaflets can flutter and absorb wind force independently, acting like nature's shock absorbers.
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