This article highlights several applications of mathematics to the design of musical instruments. In particular, we consider the physical properties of a Norwegian folk instrument called the willow flute. The willow flute relies on harmonics, rather than finger holes, to produce a scale which is related to a major scale. The pitches correspond to fundamental solutions of the one-dimensional wav...

In most cases the pharmacological activity of plant extracts is not assigned to single components and often not all active ingredients are known. Approaches other than those considering single compounds only to analyze plant material have proven helpful for a better characterization of extracts in their entirety. In this study extracts of willow bark are analyzed by high-performance thin-layer ...

The application of aspirin-like drugs in modern medicine is very broad, encompassing the treatment of inflammation, pain and a variety of cardiovascular conditions. Although anecdotal accounts of willow bark extract as an anti-inflammatory drug have occurred since written records began (for example by Hippocrates), the first convincing demonstration of a potent anti-pyretic effect of willow bar...

BACKGROUND Willows (Salix spp.) are ecosystem "foundation species" that are hosts to large numbers of associated insects. Determining their patterns of distribution across Europe is therefore of interest for understanding the spatial distribution of associated fauna. The aim of this study was to record species composition at multiple sites on a long latitudinal gradient (megatransect) across Eu...

This paper aims at providing a preliminary study of the effects of different doses of tannery waste containing high amounts of organic substances, mineral elements and heavy metals on growth dynamics and metal accumulation in willow plants. Scions of Salix alba L., clone S61-02, were grown in the open near Pisa (Italy), in pots filled with a natural soil. Willows were pruned for a unique shoot ...

Chilopsis linearis 'Burgundy', "DESERT WILLOW" Calif. native, fast-growing small tree or large shrub w/ airy appearance; willow-like leaves & trumpet-shaped, burgundy-colored flowers over long spring/summer season; hummingbird favorite.. [30] (H*W*C*) Cupressus forbesii, "TECATE CYPRESS" Calif. native, drought tolerant, multi-trunked, evergreen tree to 25 ft. w/ cherry red bark & green-gray fol...

While working in his garden in the spring of 1763, English clergyman Edward Stone was positive he had found a cure for malaria. Tasting the bark of a willow (Salix alba), Stone noticed a bitter flavor similar to that of fever tree (Cinchona spp.), the Peruvian plant used to make quinine. He reported his discovery to the Royal Society in London, recommending that willow be tested as an inexpensi...