Seed of hope, allegedly (3)

I believe the answer is:

pea

'seed' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'of hope allegedly' is the wordplay.
'of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'PEA' is hidden within 'hope allegedly'.

(Other definitions for pea that I've seen before include "It may climb frame" , "Climber" , "Tiny stone" , "Leguminous plant" , "Ape this plant badly" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.

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