Crossword Genius

Tree: grant protecting one (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

conifer

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'tree' is the definition.
(conifer is a kind of tree)

'grant protecting one' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'one' could be 'er' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'er' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for conifer that I've seen before include "Evergreen tree" , "one branching out" , "The tree keeps its leaves" , "In force (anag.)" , "E.g. yew, pine or fir" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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