Abstract The genus Verbascum L. belongs to the family Scrophulariaceae and its members are used as medicinal herbs in traditional medicines worldwide. In this study we achieved plant regeneration in Verbascum sinuatum L. via organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis by culture of mature embryos. Embryogenic and nonembryogenic calli were induced from mature embryos on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of benzyl adenine (BA) and a-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (but not for 1.5 and 3 mg l−1 NAA). For multiplication of somatic embryoids and differentiation of shoot buds, yellow and friable embryonic calli were transferred to MS medium containing 30 g/l sucrose, 0.5 mg l−1 charcoal and 0.1 or 1 mg l−1 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) or to MS medium containing 60 g l−1 sucrose, 50 mg l−1 casein hydrolysate (CH), 0.5 mg l−1 kinetin (Kin), 5 mg l−1 2,4-D and 0.5 mg l−1 charcoal. Shoot multiplication and plantlet regeneration were achieved by transferring shoot buds to MS medium supplemented with 1 mg l−1 BA or Kin.