22/06/2023
Love these posts from my childhood home
BLOOD RED KINO
It can be a startling sight to see what looks like blood oozing from a tree trunk but this gory flow is in fact a thick, red resin known as kino that is produced by some native trees in response to mechanical damage.
Kino can often be seen on eucalypts and acacias and this usually indicates that the tree is being attacked by insects, the resinous substance being produced by the tree to smother insect grubs, such as those of wood-boring beetles. This kino was seen recently on a eucalypt trunk in bushland at Mount Victoria.
When freshly exuded from the tree kino resembles red-currant jelly or deep red molten toffee but it hardens in a few hours after exposure to the air and sun. Kino doesn’t feel sticky or oily but dries to a brittle translucent substance that is water-soluble and easily powdered. It has no smell, but it has a very astringent taste. When dry, the material consists of dark red angular fragments that, in sunlight, have the rich glow of ruby crystals.
Kino is rich in tannins and polyphenols and is a valued source of antibacterial and astringent agents and it plays an important role in the traditional medicines of Indigenous Australians. Aqueous extracts of crushed pure eucalyptus kino can be used for the alleviation of muscle aches, cramps, eye infections, and toothache as well as the treatment of burns, cuts and other wounds.
Sources:
> Eucalypts: 10 things to know - ABC Science
> ECOS
> Wikipedia
Photos: Wild Blue Mountains
