Dear Mango Stein,
I have the book and I tried to answer your questions, here is what the book can answer:
1) I saw no reference to grimal in the book; There is a P. spiritosantensis from the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. I believe now there is widespread belief that grimal is not equivalent to P. spiritosantensis. I think the grimal is from the state of Alagoas, but there is no reference to that in the book; Could grimal be a northern cultivar/variety of P. spiritosantensis? I believe there is discussion on the Grimal somewhere on the forum by more knowledgeable, jaboticaba-experts;
2) Paulista is classified as P. cauliflora and Sabará as P. jaboticaba;
3) White jaboticaba not P. phitrantha but P. aureana;
4) The Plinia/Myrciaria divide you refer to (trunk-fruiting or not) seems correct according to the book.
I hope this has helped, at least while you don't get the book.
Cheers,
T
I am interested to know what the changes are to plinia and myrciaria, although I suspect it is the following:
all traditional trunk-fruiting jaboticabas have been classified 'plinia' while the so-called false jaboticabas (like blue grape/blue jabo, cabelluda/yellow jabo, camu camu, cambui) have been classified 'myrciaria' as they fruit more on the stem and are genetically separate enough. There might be some exceptions like cambuca (plinia edulis).
I'm also thinking that Paulista and Sabara are two varieties of plinia cauliflora, not plinia jaboticaba as some are putting for Sabara. And if my memory serves me correctly, white jabo (aureana) is actually a variety of plinia phitrantha.
Have they put a tentative ID on the 'Grimal' yet?