Crossword Genius

Bush country (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

america

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'country' is the definition.
(United States of America)

'bush' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'bush' could be 'erica' (erica is a kind of bush) and 'erica' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'am' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for america that I've seen before include "Western land mass" , "West Side Story song" , "Continent consisting of two great land masses" , "Country bordering Mexico" , "'Country named after Vespucci, Italian navigator (7)'" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app