Fig. 2. Schematic diagram showing plant material and growth conditions. (a) Plant material consisted of 16 clones propagated through cuttings. (b) Six plants were grown besides physical supports (wire meshes) for two years: five plants were used for self-supporting and lianescent xylem (X.) anatomy characterization, carried at 4/5 of the distance from the shoot apex to the base, in the same cross-section; and one plant had the cambium and differentiating xylem sampled for transcriptome assembling and differential gene expression analysis. Tissue was sampled from 60 cm from the shoot apex (around the 10th internode) to the base of the stem (ca.20th internode). (c) Ten plants had lateral branches and main stem apices pruned to stimulate the production of new branches of the same age. They were grown for 32 months and were used to assess the relationship between lianescent xylem production and physical support attachment. (d) Five pruned plants were grown beside physical supports. (e) The other five pruned plants were grown without physical support. Scale bars: (a) and (c) 25 cm; (b), (d) and (e) 150 cm.