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This glassy, opaque item was deep inside a eucalyptus blank. There was no indication from the outside of the wood that there was anything inside, so it must have been grown over while the tree was alive.closeup

It appears to be connected to / part of a small branch that was trapped inside; does anyone have any idea what it might be? It didn't chip like glass, and was only slightly harder than the surrounding wood.wider shot before removing the material

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    Looks like sap/resin that trees produce when they are damaged (e.g. by grown in branches) – Kromster Nov 11 '19 at 4:38
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    Yup, sap. Smaller bark and sap/resin inclusions aren't rare, although they occur more commonly in some species than others. – Graphus Nov 11 '19 at 8:00
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    @Graphus anyone can change his/her display name on SO. Open your profile (link on top-right) -> "Edit profile and settings" tab -> "Display name". Your SE name stays the same iirc, but it's never displayed afaik. – Kromster Nov 11 '19 at 8:08
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    @GraphussupportsMonica nice to see you support of Monica situation too! – Kromster Nov 12 '19 at 8:10
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    @KromstersayssupportMonica, honestly I can't imagine any reasonable person wouldn't! – Graphus Nov 13 '19 at 8:45
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Looks like sap/resin that trees produce when they are damaged (e.g. by grown-in branches). It indeed hardens over time and can be trapped within the growing tree.

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  • Thanks! Googling around a bit more, I think it is "kino" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kino_(botany) ) - I was surprised that it could harden into such a glassy form... – AKA Nov 11 '19 at 16:13
  • It's quite akin to amber btw – Kromster Nov 11 '19 at 17:41
  • Akin to the starting point of amber. Amber is fossilised. – Graphus Nov 12 '19 at 7:24

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