Left in charge clutching the French flower (5)
I believe the answer is:
lilac
'flower' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'left in charge clutching the french' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'in charge' becomes 'ic' (abbreviation for 'in charge').
'clutching' is an insertion indicator.
'the french' becomes 'la' (one of the French words for 'the').
'ic' going around 'la' is 'ilac'.
'l'+'ilac'='LILAC'
(Other definitions for lilac that I've seen before include "Genus Syringa shrub" , "Flowering tree of the olive family" , "Tree with purple or white flowers" , "Shrub with fragrant purplish or white flowers" , "Shrub or small tree with fragrant blossom" .)