Our group is studying the development of vascular cambium by using Arabidopsis thaliana root as a model. Vascular cambium produces xylem (wood) and phloem, and together with the cork cambium, which produces a protective layer at the surface called phellem (cork), they provide thickness to plant organs. We combine lineage tracing and microscopy with molecular genetics to understand growth dynamics of the stem cells of the vascular cambium at a cellular resolution. In the recently funded ERC project, we have also started to identify the stem cells of cork cambium. The long term aim is to understand how cork and vascular cambia together coordinate and orchestrate radial thickening.