Crossword Genius

Tree one found by river (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

acer

'tree' is the definition.
(acer is a type of tree)

'one found by river' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'ace' (ace has a value of one in some card games).
'found by' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'river' becomes 'r' (abbreviation).
'ace'+'r'='ACER'

(Other definitions for acer that I've seen before include "Type of maple" , "Plant" , "Care about the maple?" , "Care about this tree" , "Tree with winged fruit" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.