This study reports on usage of functionalized carbon nanotubes as a transgene delivery cargo into higher plants. We show that aquatic Spirodela polyrhiza (Duckweed) plant, when incubated in a solution containing carbon nanotubes wrapped with a plasmid containing the gene for reporter protein β-glucuronidase (GUS), can directly uptake the DNA-CNTs with high efficiency. The mechanism of the DNA-CNT delivery, directly from growth media, and plasmid release is discussed. We show that transgenes encoded within the plasmids are expressed by the plants. This method allows to avoid using large doses of nanomaterials or direct infiltration of agrobacterium into plant tissue. We expect this new approach for transgene delivery will allow for more efficient plant engineering and can serve as a useful tool in synthetic biology.ACKNOWLEDGMENTThe work was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences [1R35GM133483] and Department of Defense [Contract #W911QY2220006]. This work was performed in part at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, a member of the Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor (SENIC) and National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), which is supported by the National Science Foundation [ECCS-1542174].