This work highlights short-term storage of recalcitrant Lepisanthes fruticosa seeds and long-term conservation attempts of its embryonic axes (EAs) through cryopreservation. Short-term storage was carried out using fresh seeds at 54 % moisture content and stored at 8 ±1 °C and 25 ±2 °C for 7 weeks. Three variations to sterilization were attempted to optimize survival while keeping contamination low for cryopreservation. Cryopreservation using two different methods were tested, namely vitrification and the encapsulation vitrification method. Vitrification technique involved the pre-culturing of EAs overnight in different sucrose pre-culture concentrations (0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 M) prior to, loading, dehydration with plant vitrification solution (PVS2), rapid immersion into liquid nitrogen (-196 °C), rapid warming, unloading and recovery. While, encapsulation vitrification involved encapsulation of the EAs using 3 % sodium alginate followed by exposure to different duration (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 minutes) of PVS2 prior to cryopreservation. L. fruticosa seeds can be safely stored for short-term with no loss in germination up to 7 weeks of storage either at 8 ±1 °C or 25 ±2 °C. This study also showed that EA of L. fruticosa was amenable to cryopreservation, 13.0 – 66.67% of viability was obtained when the EAs were cryopreserved using the vitrification technique while the best result was obtained (66.67 % viability) when the EAs were pre-cultured with 0.4 M sucrose prior to exposure to PVS2 and liquid nitrogen. Cryopreservation of EAs using the encapsulation-vitrification method was unsuccessful.