If there exists a model monocotyledonous species with regard to somatic embryogenesis, then orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) must surely be nominated. As described by Conger and colleagues at the University of Tennessee [1], one is able to induce an embryogenic response from young leaf bases such that an abundance of mature, convertible somatic embryos are available within just a few weeks from the time of plating. The fact that one needs to start with selected Dactylis clones for this optimal embryogenic response [2] is not a trivial matter but does not detract from the important scientific possibilities these clones possess. Several studies on the origin and developmental pattern of the somatic embryos have been published [1–4] but the biochemical and molecular aspects of the embryogenesis phenomenon have only just begun to be examined [5, 6]. To those of us who have used the Dactylis system for our own purposes we recognize its potential and encourage its use as an experimental tool for the study of somatic embryogenesis in monocotyledonous plants.