Plant article about spies (6)
I believe the answer is:
acacia
'plant' is the definition.
The answer is an example.
'article about spies' is the wordplay.
'article' becomes 'a' (the indefinite article in English).
'about' becomes 'ca' (short for circa).
'spies' becomes 'CIA' (Central Intelligence Agency).
'a'+'ca'+'cia'='ACACIA'
(Other definitions for acacia that I've seen before include "Garden plant also known as wattle" , "Tree (wattle or robinia)" , "Tropical tree, inc. mimosa, wattle" , "Thorny flowering shrub" , "Australian tree" .)