Crossword Genius

Hole in one rare tree (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

acer

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

'hole in one rare' is the wordplay.
'hole in one' becomes 'ace' (I've seen this before).
'rare' becomes 'r' (listed by Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations).
'ace'+'r'='ACER'

(Other definitions for acer that I've seen before include "Plant" , "Tree with winged fruit" , "Tree of maple family" , "Care about the maple?" , "Tree or shrub of the maple genus" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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