Converted somatic embryos of Corydalis yanhusuo showed direct development of somatic embryos in the region at the junction of cotyledonary leaf and root when cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 0-16 mg/L abscisic acid (ABA) and with 2 mg/L being optimum for further development. Histological and scanning electron microscopic studies confirmed the direct origin of embryos from the epidermal layer of cells. The use of liquid MS basal medium with 0.1 mg/L gibberellic acid (GA(3)) facilitated embryo conversion within fifteen days of culture. Phenotypically normal plants were recovered from converted somatic embryos and the plants showed well-developed tubers and in vitro flowering after 4 months of culture.
