I've had both makok and silas woods -- both for about a decade. I strongly believe the silas woods to be a seedling of makok. Here are some of the things I've noticed:
- Silas fruits are better tasting. They are white fleshed and have a smoother, honey flavor, where makok is more of a strong piloncillo flavor and a dark brown color. (Silas fruits will look and taste more like makok if allowed to ripen on tree.)
- Both trees are extremely productive and very precocious. Both also produce fruit year round.
- Fruits on both are small, but silas tends to be just a hair larger.
- Silas and makok both get raided heavily by possums and raccoons -- they are the cause of broken branches. Silas is slightly more brittle than makok, but broken branches are an issue on both due to the animals that climb the trees to harvest the fruit.
- Both trees are dwarf, but makok might be just a hair smaller and slower growing.
- Makok can suffer from a ripening issue where some of the flesh is soft. I never fully figured out the cause.
The silas is a better tree. I ended up yanking my 13 year old makok.