Somatic embryos were obtained from young, isolated cotyledons of Picea abies. A bud-inductive treatment for one week before transfer to a callus induction medium, resulted in a tenfold increase in the percentage of cotyledons in which embryonic tissues could be induced. The degree of expression of somatic embryogeny depends on whether cotyledons are first subjected to a callus-inducing medium or first exposed to a cytokinin treatment followed by a callus-inducing medium. It is hypothesized that two populations of cells exist, both with the inherent potential of becoming embryogenic after treatment with plant growth regulators.