| Characteristic |
Shoot bud |
Somatic embryo |
| Origin |
Many cells, usually superficial |
Single cell, usually superficial |
| Polarity |
Unipolar; only the shoot pole present |
Bipolar; both shoot and root poles present |
| Vascular connection with callus/explant |
Present; vascular strands connected with those present in callus/explant |
Absent; there is no vascular connection with callus/explant |
| Separation from callus/explant |
Not easily separated unless cut off |
Easily separated since the radicular end is cutinized. |
