Crossword Genius

A great deal on American water lily (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lotus

'water lily' is the definition.
(lotus is a kind of water lily)

'a great deal on american' is the wordplay.
'a great deal' becomes 'lot' (synonyms).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'american' becomes 'us' (abbreviation for United States).
'lot'+'us'='LOTUS'

(Other definitions for lotus that I've seen before include "Type of water lily" , "Exotic flower" , "Water lily - fruit inducing forgetfulness" , "Type of water-lily" , "Mythological fruit - lily" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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