The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word APPLE TREE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
A
P
P
L
E
T
R
E
E
More clues leading to the result APPLE TREE
- Fruitful source — a very quiet let, really excellent earnings initially
- Computer programme getting ordered regularly – it should bear fruit
- Software released without following source of Newton’s theory?
- Subprogram concerned with energy that bears fruit
- Computer program eastern ruler backed that should bear fruit
- A very quiet rental property always on reflection a fruitful source
- Short program about English fruit producer
- First bit of evening paper let loose by fruit-bearer
- Pedigree of computer company? Its product supposedly impacted scientist
- Parrot eats stormy petrel – it’s an excellent source of nutrition
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a fruitful source" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a fruitful source = apple tree.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.