Cryptic crossword clue
King rising excitedly to hype desert plant, say 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word XEROPHYTE

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "desert plant, say/to hype" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case desert plant, say/to hype = xerophyte.
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 XEROPHYTE mean?

XEROPHYTE noun
  1. Any plant suited for life in a habitat where water is scarce, such as in a desert or chaparral. Such plants may be succulent, have small or reduced leaves, or spines.
  2. A desert plant

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