The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SPIDERY
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
S
P
I
D
E
R
Y
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "straggling" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case straggling = spidery.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 SPIDERY mean?
SPIDERY adjective- Like a spider.
- Characterized by many spindly extensions.