Most woody plants exhibit a conserved way of organizing their vascular system in their stems and roots. This is referred to as the "typical growth." Other plants arrange the same tissues in different ways, a phenomenon known as "vascular variants." We are particularly interested in exploring the biology of vascular variants, as they give rise to functional forms in both wild and cultivated plants. Examples include the concentric rings (i.e., ectopic cambia) of the beetroot (see here), a phenomenon also observed in the stems and roots of many woody vines (see the image below), as well as some herbs, trees, and shrubs.