Cryptic crossword clue
Flowering maple left in U-boat at sea 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ABUTILON

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Flowering maple" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case flowering maple = abutilon.
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.

What does ABUTILON mean?

ABUTILON noun
  1. Any of the various tropical flowering plants of the genus Abutilon, such as the flowering maple, Indian mallow, or Chinese lantern.

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