Phytolith has been widely used as a tool to reconstruct the paleoenvironment, and the investigation of modern phytolith is very crucial to the accurate interpretation of phytolith data in ancient sediments. Studies of modern process of phytolith primarily include the morphological analysis of phytolith in modern plants, and the relationships between the formation and growth of phytolith and environmental factors, as well as the transportation and taphonomy of phytolith in modern soils and sediments. The formation of phytolith in plants is controlled not only by genes but also by environmental factors, such as humidity, precipitation, temperature, CO₂ concentration, soil pH, and nutrient status, etc. The morphology, assemblages, ¹³C and ¹⁸O of phytolith in plants can respond sensitively to environmental variables. The phytolith assemblages can be affected by its taphonomy and transportation that may be different due to phytolith types and soils/sediments texture. It is necessary to investigate the phytolith morphology and types in modern plants, the relationship between its formation and environmental factors, and the impact of transportation and taphonomy on phytolith assemblages under different environmental conditions in order to promote the application of phytolith analysis to paeloenvironment reconstruction.