The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word FOXGLOVE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
F
O
X
G
L
O
V
E
More clues leading to the result FOXGLOVE
- Trick with passion round back of bottling plant
- Growth of initially great affection, supporting fool
- Plant kiss on female, given ring that’s put on hand
- Sly character liking to restrict good source of drug
- Ten gathered in mist admire flower
- Plant unknown in mist that means nothing
- Mitt supports American TV company’s growth
- Puzzle over covering for wild plant
- Two Cabinet ministers defending line? It might be part of plot
- Cheat with ultimately unsuspecting sweetheart, making bloomer
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Growth" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case growth = foxglove.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 FOXGLOVE mean?
FOXGLOVE noun- Digitalis, a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous biennials native to the Old World, certain of which are prized for their showy flowers. The drug digitalis or digoxin was first isolated from the plant.