Crossword Genius

Plant fake diamond? (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

shamrock

'plant' is the definition.
(shamrock is a kind of plant)

'fake diamond' is the wordplay.
'fake' becomes 'sham' (sham can mean fake or pretend).
'diamond' becomes 'rock' (rock can informally mean a diamond).
'sham'+'rock'='SHAMROCK'

(Other definitions for shamrock that I've seen before include "The national Irish trefoil" , "Irish national symbol" , "Sign of first part of 10 [IRISH [SEA]]" , "Native Irish trefoil" , "Clover native to Ireland" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun and The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app