Crossword Genius

Blood around small prickly plant (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gorse

'prickly plant' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'blood around small' is the wordplay.
'blood' becomes 'gore' (gore means blood or violence).
'around' is an insertion indicator.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'gore' placed around 's' is 'GORSE'.

(Other definitions for gorse that I've seen before include "Welsh assembly" , "Ogres (anag.)" , "Spiny heathland shrub" , "Prickly heath shrub" , "Spiky shrub" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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