Top of limb lost in some smouldering remains (5)
I believe the answer is:
ember
'some smouldering remains' is the definition.
(embers are the remains of a fire)
'top of limb' is the wordplay.
'top of' means to remove the first letter (I've seen 'topped' mean this (to top something is to remove its top)).
'limb' becomes 'member' (I've seen this before).
'member' with its initial letter removed is 'EMBER'.
'lost in' is the link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ember that I've seen before include "Hot piece of wood or coal from a fire" , "Cryptic question" , "Glower" , "Burning coal" , "It glows in dying fire" .)