Crossword Genius

One may strain to improve it (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tea

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'one may' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both plants as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe you can see a link between them that I don't see?

'strain to improve it' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'it' could be 't' (abbreviation. e.g. in 'tis) and 't' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ea' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tea that I've seen before include "Cha" , "Evening meal - eat up" , "Plantation product" , "Refresher course" , "Infused beverage" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News and The Globe and Mail.
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