Made from an offshoot of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, the wood takes various forms across the millennia, becoming an object of reverence, desire and fear for various crowned heads until the early seventh century, when a Christian emperor humbly carries it to its sanctuary in Jerusalem.

WSJ: A Heavenly View From On High | Basilica of Santa Croce | Agnolo Gaddi | By Francis X. Rocca

Syria's regime is dominated by the president's minority Alawite sect an offshoot of Shiite Islam while the rebels are mostly from the country's Sunni majority.

NPR: Syrian Troops Capture Key Town Near Damascus

It is an offshoot of the parent organisation, in the US, which emerged in 1986 from a research project at the University of San Francisco.

BBC: Silver surfers brave the net

Syria's regime is dominated by minority Alawites an offshoot of Shiite Islam while the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad are mostly from the Sunni majority.

NPR: Hezbollah-Backed Lebanese Shiites Fight In Syria

To find out, Kelly ordered a briefing book from some high-toned outfit like the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), an offshoot of The Economist magazine.

FORBES: The CIA For Everyman

The protest began across the street from the Asia headquarters of HSBC, where a group of Occupy Hong Kong protesters an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street have been camped for months.

WSJ: For Brokers in Hong Kong, This New Policy Is Out to Lunch