Describing plant structures that curve or twist in different directions, especially branches or stems.
From Greek hetero- (different) + mallus (soft/pliable, from Latin), describing irregular growth curves in plants. Used in botany to describe asymmetrical or twisting growth patterns.
Some vines are heteromallous—they twist and turn in random directions as they climb, unlike ivy which grows pretty straight, giving each plant its own weird choreography!
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