A clinging female? (3)
I believe the answer is:
ivy
'female?' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I don't understand the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ivy that I've seen before include "Four-year" , "Girl" , "With holly, it's seasonally decorative" , "Hedera helix" , "Climbing-plant" .)