Dorsiventral

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The technical term dorsiventral , substantivates dorsiventrality , ( Latin dorsum 'back', Latin venter 'belly') describes the type of symmetry of living beings or parts thereof. These are dorsiventral if they only have a single axis of symmetry that divides them into two mirror-image halves. The top and bottom (or back or stomach), however, are built differently.

One speaks of dorsiventrality mainly in animals. In the case of plants (especially flowers ), on the other hand, the otherwise synonymous term zygomorphic or (in the case of leaves) bifacial is more common.

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