In this article the current state of the art of somatic embryogenesis in ornamental plant propagation is reviewed. A short register of protocols for the economically most important ornamental plant species is given. Since ornamentals comprise a huge and heterogeneous group of plants, regenerating structures which are summarised as ‘somatic embryos’ may differ in detail if one studies gene expression patterns and anatomy. In this context, the problem of nomenclature and differentiation between ‘shoots’ and ‘embryos’ is discussed. Moreover, the difficulty of epigenetic variation is reconsidered as major drawback for extensive use of somatic embryogenesis in ornamental plant propagation.