A common weed the colonist put in a stretch of level land (8)
I believe the answer is:
plantain
'a common weed' is the definition.
'plantain' can be an answer for 'weed' (I've seen this before). I am not certain of the 'a common' bit.
'colonist put in a stretch of level land' is the wordplay.
'colonist' becomes 'ant' (ants live in colonies).
'put in' indicates putting letters inside.
'a stretch of level land' becomes 'plain' (I've seen this before).
'ant' placed within 'plain' is 'PLANTAIN'.
'the' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for plantain that I've seen before include "Tropical plant like a banana" , "Green-skinned banana" , "Low-growing plant; type of banana" , "Pal at inn (anag)" , "Sort of banana" .)