The organogenetic cycle of main‐branch shoots of Nothofagus dombeyi (Nothofagaceae) was studied. Twelve samples of 52–59 parent shoots were collected from a roadside population between September 1999 and October 2000. Variations over time in the number of nodes of terminal and axillary buds, and the length, diameter and number of leaves of shoots derived from these buds (sibling shoots) were analysed. The number of nodes of buds developed by parent shoots was compared with the number of nodes of buds developed, 1 year later, by sibling shoots. The length, diameter and number of leaves of sibling shoots increased from October 1999 to February 2000 in those shoots with a terminal bud. However, extension of most sibling shoots, including the first five most distal leaf primordia, ceased before February due to abscission of the shoot apex. Axillary buds located most distally on a shoot had more nodes than both terminal buds and more proximal axillary buds. The longest shoots included a preformed part and a neoformed part. The organogenetic event which initiated the neoformed organs continued until early autumn, giving rise to the following year’s preformation. The absence of cataphylls in terminal buds could indicate a low intensity of shoot rest. The naked terminal bud of Nothofagus spp. could be interpreted as a structure less specialized than the scaled bud found in genera of Fagaceae and Betulaceae.