A method was developed for in vitro regeneration of plants via somatic embryogenesis in Chorispora bungeana, an alpine plant with freeze-tolerance, using cell suspensions initiated from leaf-derived callus. Primary calli were induced from leaves of C. bungeana grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 4.0 mg l⁻¹ gibberellic acid (GA₃), 0.2 mg l⁻¹ α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 0.2 mg l⁻¹ 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Suspension culture was initiated by incubating the callus particulates in liquid MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l⁻¹ kinetin (KT) and 0.2 mg l⁻¹ NAA. Individual early cotyledonary-stage somatic embryos isolated from cell suspension developed into whole plants on medium containing high levels of sucrose (60 and 90 g l⁻¹), whereas lower sucrose concentrations (0 and 30 g l⁻¹) were inhibitory to main root development. On the MS medium with 90 g l⁻¹ sucrose, one regenerated plant exhibited hetero-morphologic leaves, while other plants grown on different media showed a transformation from stem to root.