The alae nasi are the lateral portions of the nose or the wings of the nostrils, which partly encircle the nostrils (nares). They are usually about the width of the columella, but vary greatly depending on the shape of the nostril. Note that individuals may be described as having a cleft ala nasi, but have a severely Underdeveloped ala nasi. In an underdeveloped ala the continuity of the tissue encircling the nostril is undisturbed while in a cleft it is disrupted. The term coloboma has been replaced because a coloboma is a remnant of a physiologically occurring discontinuity of tissue; the alae nasi do not have such a discontinuity.