Smooth and white: a plant undergoing tests? (9)
I believe the answer is:
alabaster
'smooth and white' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'a plant undergoing tests?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is present in the answer.
'plant' could be 'aster' (aster is a kind of plant) and 'aster' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'lab' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for alabaster that I've seen before include "White substance" , "statue material" , "White ornamental stone" , "Blast area for white mineral" , "Material for sculpting" .)