Root and branch ultimately is harder -- so chopped up (11)
I believe the answer is:
horseradish
'root' is the definition.
(I know that horseradish is a type of root)
'branch ultimately is harder so chopped up' is the wordplay.
'ultimately' says to take the final letters.
'chopped up' indicates anagramming the letters.
The final letter of 'branch' is 'h'.
'is'+'harder'+'so'='isharderso'
'isharderso' with letters rearranged gives 'orseradish'.
'h'+'orseradish'='HORSERADISH'
'and' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for horseradish that I've seen before include "Source of sauce to go with beef" , "Plant with a pungent edible root" , "Sauce served with beef" , "Sharp-tasting condiment" , "Saucy root vegetable?" .)