Correlative FLIM-confocal-Raman mapping applied to plant lignin composition and autofluorescence.

•Fluorescence lifetime imaging, confocal and Raman on the same microscope/sample.•Lifetime changes of lignin fluorescence correlate with Raman changes.•Arabidopsis thaliana, cad2 cad6 double mutant exhibits shorter lifetimes.•Loss and gain of peaks in mutant Raman spectra compared to those of wild type.