Will a plant stop growing if new growth is dropped?

Question

Some plants grow out of the top leaves, starting with a leaf or two and then extending the stem. I have two plants like this, medinilla magnifica and rubber plant. See the image below for reference.

What happens if this new growth is lost? Is the plant stunted, or will it be able to replace the growth either with leaves or stem?

My medinilla magnifica recently dropped its new growth due to extra sunlight drying it out, but is otherwise healthy, so I am curious to know how it will fare.

Answer 1

The medinilla ended up growing not only new leaves from the node where leaves dropped, but a new stem as well! So it seems like all is not lost if this happens.