The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word TEOSINTE
T
E
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S
I
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The straight part
We know that "grass" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case grass = teosinte.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 TEOSINTE mean?
TEOSINTE noun- Any of a few species of maize-like grasses of the genus Zea found in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua.