Cryptic crossword clue
Plant employee China ceases holding

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
C
H
I
N
A
C
E
A

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Plant" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case plant = echinacea.
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 ECHINACEA mean?

ECHINACEA noun
  1. Any of several plants, of genus Echinacea, having pinkish-purple flowers.
  2. A herbal medicine extracted from the roots and seeds of such plants.

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