‘Plant life’ NYT Mini Crossword clue Aug. 12 answer and hints

As someone who’s awful at keeping plants alive (unless they’re the plastic variety), I was totally stumped by the “Plant life” clue from today’s NYT Mini Crossword.

This clue is five across from the Aug. 12 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle. If you’re also not great with plants, or aren’t too familiar with plant life, this clue isn’t particularly easy—which is why you’re here and why I’ve included hints and the answer below.

‘Plant life’ NYT Mini Crossword clue Aug. 12 hints and answer

• Hint 1: It rhymes with “pourer.”
• Hint 2: It starts with an “F.”
• Hint 3: It also means the life of fungi and bacteria.
• Hint 4: It’s often used together with the similar word Fauna.

The answer to the “Plant life” clue is “FLORA.” It’s not often I get to geek out over a word, but the word flora is rooted in Roman mythology. The Roman Goddess of Spring and flowers was called Flora, and in Latin flora means flower. So, it’s fairly fitting it’s used to describe the life of plants, fungi, and bacteria.

NYT Aug. 12 Mini Crossword puzzle: All clues and answers

Across

• 1A Throws into the mix — ADDS
• 5A Plant life — FLORA
• 6A Chef’s garment — APRON
• 7A Informal term for avid supporters of Kamala Harris — K HIVE
• 8A Simplicity — EASE

Down

• 1D Letter before beta and gamma — ALPHA
• 2D Pulitzer winning historian ___ Kearns Goodwin — DORIS
• 3D Did some chauffeuring — DROVE
• 4D All there, mentally — SANE
• 5D Like a designer bag with the company name misspelled — FAKE

‘Plant life’ clue difficulty

The “plant life” clue was ambiguous because it’s hard to tell if the clue was referring to a specific type of plant or a category. Both these options have countless answers. It wasn’t until I’d solved a few of the other clues that I realized the answer because it’s tied to the common phrase “flora and fauna.” Although it wasn’t impossible to solve, it certainly had its challenges. So, I’d give it a difficulty rating of four out of five.

NYT Mini Crossword puzzle alternatives

Have you finished the NYT Mini Crossword already? If so, try the mini crosswords from the LA Times or the Washington Post. They’re also released daily and can be quite complex. But, if you prefer word games, try  Strands or Spelling Bee.