noun
opposite leaves
Botanical term for leaves that grow in pairs at the same node on opposite sides of the stem.
この植物は対生葉を持っている。
This plant has opposite leaves.
輪生葉 means whorled leaves, where three or more leaves grow from the same node, while 対生葉 has exactly two.
Compound of 対生 (taisei, 'opposite, facing') and 葉 (yō, 'leaf'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the botanical meaning.