Spectator

[neversaydie]

Pink plant spoken about by spooks (7)
I have ?ia?c?a

[Neveracrossword]

Diascia. a plant. Said - spoken (about - reversed) +CIA/spooks, spies.

[dannyk13]

Diascia

[neversaydie]

Thanks both - botanist not I!

[neversaydie]

Nor very good at crosswords!

[dannyk13]

If memory serves this was in the Telegraph Prize GK which is usually pretty difficult.

[Neveracrossword]

Glad I could help. (I'm no botanist either, but I managed to get this one!)

[Neveracrossword]

I didn't see it in the Telegraph, Danny, but it's definitely in this week's Spectator. Wouldn't it be a bit cryptic to be a General Knowledge clue?

[dannyk13]

Then again this is a cryptic clue so maybe a coincidence or a setter working for more than one paper.

[dannyk13]

Crossed posts nac

[dannyk13]

Just checked , it was Telegraph Prize GK456 on 10th July.

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks for the info, Danny. I have friends who do GK crosswords and don't like anything at all cryptic.

[whatsthat]

I have a problem with unclued 23d: ?ET. Both MET and YET fit, and both appear in the poem. I think I'll go for MET as this appears first in the poem. Anybody got any other idea?

[Neveracrossword]

I went with Met - partly because there was an I above it, so it flowed better (and it links up nicely with 10 D which has an A before it!).

[whatsthat]

Thanks, Neveracrossword