Résumé
Dalbergia species stand out among Madagascar's prized woods. Due these species are highly appreciated on the national and international markets, their wood are very expensive. The names ”palisander” and ”rosewood” are trade names for several species within the Dalbergia genus. Palisander exhibits heartwood colors ranging from light yellowish-brown to darker orange, while rosewoods colors range from purple to wine-red. While rosewood typically has a notably higher price compared to palisander, some unscrupulous traders exploit this distinction, labeling lesser woods as 'rosewood' to inflate their prices. Presently, discerning between rosewood and palisander poses a challenge due to the lack of reliable criteria, except subjective perception of their color. To address this issue, the aim of this study was therefore to compare the wood extractives (EXTR) and phenols (PHEN) content of 46 Dalbergia morpho-species seeking to differentiate between these two types of wood based on their chemical content. Samples were collected from 352 trees throughout Madagascar. Near InfraRed (NIR) spectroscopy prediction models were used to assess EXTR and PHEN content in sapwood and heartwood using a handheld spectrometer. The results showed that the species had a significant influence on EXTR (↵=0.1%), for both sapwood (0.3 to 4.7%) and heartwood (4.7 to 30.8%). Similarly, PHEN content varied across species, with sapwood ranging from 0.7 to 22.0 mgEqGA/g and heartwood ranging from 4.8 to 28.3 mgEqGA/g. Notably, there is no significant di↵erence in EXTR and PHEN contents between rosewood and palisander. Consequently, relying solely on these chemical contents cannot reliably distinguish between these two categories. As for future work, qualitative analyses of extractives should be carried out to find chemical markers for known rosewood species.