Life-long Marriage to Vitaceae

In 1975 when I wanted to read for my PhD at Reading University, I consulted Dr. Benjamin C Stone, my mentor, then at Botany Department, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. He suggested Vitaceae, Rutaceae or Bambusoideae. I decided on Vitaceae, David T Jones (now in Florida) took Rutaceae and later K M Wong (now a professor at University of Malaya) took the banboo.
Never did I realise that would be my life-time association with the grape family. I revised the genus Pterisanthes Blume in 1982 with a total of 19 species in two sections, and Nothocissus (Griff.) Latiff in 2007 with four species. There are only two species each of Ampelopsis Michx. (A. cantoniensis and A. glandulosa), Vitis L (V. vinifera, cultivated and V. flexuosa) and Pathenocissus Planch. (P. heterophylla and P. brevipedunculata) in Malesia. The genera Cissus, Cayratia, Ampelocissus and Tetrastigma are more speciose. There are no new species in Cayratia, and in Cissus, I described a new species C. sumatara from Sumatera, recorded C. aristolochiodes in Malesia. In Ampelocissus, I described A. madulidii from the Philippines and A. complanata from Borneo. In Tetrastigma, I described T. steenisii and T. megacarpum, both from Borneo and made one new combination T. diepenhorstii (formerly Vitis diepernhorstii Miq.). The revision of these genera are forthcomig.