The present study aimes at initiating somatic embryogenesis in immature seeds of incompatible crossings of firs where zygotic embryos abort usually several weeks after pollination. The induction of embryogenic tissue was rather rare and occurred with frequencies of 0.64-1.6% in A. nordmanniana x A.concolor, 0.69-3.82% in A. nordmanniana x A. veitchii, 5.55% in A. concolor x A. veitchii, 0.64-1.60% in A. nordmanniana x A. concolor and 1.23% in A. pinsapo x A. veitchii. The initiation of embryogenic tissue from other hybrid fir seeds was not achieved. Maturation up to cotyledonary stage of development was achieved only in A. nordmanniana x A. veitchii somatic embryos. The hybrid nature of the somatic embryos was proved by restriction analysis of chloroplast DNA.