Crossword Genius

Apollo's sister raised first-class absinthe (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

artemisia

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

'absinthe' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both plants as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see an association between them that I can't see?

'apollo's sister raised first-class' is the wordplay.
'apollo's sister' becomes 'artemis' (I've seen this in another clue).
'raised' says the letters should be written backwards (going up in a down clue).
'first class' becomes 'ai' (A1 - top quality).
'ai' written backwards gives 'ia'.
'artemis'+'ia'='ARTEMISIA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for artemisia that I've seen before include "Source of malaria drug" , "Flower" , "Aromatic plant related to wormwood" , "herbaceous plant" , "Bitter tasting plant" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.