Blossoming fig initially having a dark look (9)
I believe the answer is:
flowering
'blossoming' is the definition.
('flower' can be a synonym of 'blossom')
'fig initially having a dark look' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'dark' could be 'lowering' (synonyms) and 'lowering' is located in the answer.
A single letter 'f' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for flowering that I've seen before include "In bloom" , "coming out" , "Blooming" .)
