Arginine metabolism works to make a plant body complex, according to new research by a collaborative team from Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB), RIKEN, Rikkyo University, Toyohashi University of Technology, Yamagata University, Chiba University, Hokkaido University, and University of Tokyo in Japan. The findings, now online in Cell Reports, may lead to a new understanding of amino acid metabolism with a specific role in plant morphogenesis.