Phytomers are functional units of a plant, continually produced by root and shoot meristems throughout a plant's vegetative life-cycle. Increases in a phytomer can be measured using the rate of phyllochron (rate of appearance of leaves on a shoot). Related to the phyllochron is the plastochron, which is the rate of leaf primordia initiation. Since many more leaf primordia are initiated than leaves develop, the plastochron develops at a much faster rate (sometimes as much as twice as quickly) as the phyllochron.^{[citation needed]}

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Initially, a young plant will only produce phytomers at its apical meristems but later in development, secondary meristems will begin to form and phytomers will be formed on this lateral plant growth.^{[citation needed]}

• Howell, S.H. (1998). Molecular Genetics of Plant Development. Cambridge University Press 104. ISBN 0-521-58784-0
• McMaster, G. S. Phytomers, phyllochrons, phenology and temperate cereal development. J. Agric. Sci. 143, 137 (2005).

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