Which instrument uses a eucalyptus leaf held taut against the lips as a wind valve?

• A. Gum Leaf
• B. Bull-Roarer
• C. Dizi
• D. Polynesian Nose Flute

Answer: (A)

The concept here is edge-tone wind production using a natural material. In this instrument, a eucalyptus leaf is placed between the lips and held taut so that air blown across the leaf edge causes the leaf to vibrate. That vibration, along with the shape of the mouth, acts as the valve and resonator, producing sound. The leaf’s flexibility lets the player vary pitch and timbre simply by adjusting lip tension and airspeed.

This matches the gum leaf, a traditional Australian wind instrument made from a eucalyptus leaf. The other options don’t fit this mechanism: a bull-roarer creates sound by spinning a carved disk to modulate air, not by a lip-held leaf; a dizi is a Chinese bamboo flute that uses a reed-like membrane for its timbre; a Polynesian nose flute is blown through the nose, not the lips.