Forbid new soldier to change side for tropical plant (4,2,8)
I believe the answer is:
bird of paradise
'plant' is the definition.
(bird of paradise is a kind of plant)
'forbid new soldier to change side for tropical' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
an anagram of 'forbid' is 'birdof' which is present in the answer.
'soldier' could be 'para' (paratrooper) and 'para' is found within the answer.
an anagram of 'side' is 'dise' which is present in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bird of paradise that I've seen before include "gorgeous flyer" , "Avian noted for its plumage" , "plant" .)