The genus Pericopsis includes four tree species of which only Pericopsis elata (Harms) Meeuwen is of commercial interest. Enforcement officers might have difficulties discerning this CITES‐listed species from some other tropical African timber species. Therefore, the conductors of the study tested several methods to separate and identify these species rapidly in order to enable customs officials to uncover illegal trade. As a result, two classification methods using Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART™) ionization coupled with Time‐of‐Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART‐TOFMS) data to discern between several species presented.
