Both names were assigned on the basis of preserved specimens by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach. He saw differences in leaf colouration, in addition to floral and root morphology. These differences are however insignificant and both taxa differ solely in their floral colouration. The colouration is however a very transitory trait and various intermediate forms between red and white occur. The floral phenotype even shows temporal variations within singular individuals in subsequent seasons. Therefore, the sole reason of separation, which was the floral colouration, cannot be seen as a hard fact, but rather as a transitory characteristic, which does not legitimise a separate species status. Based on these observations Phalaenopsis speciosa was reduced to a synonym of Phalaenopsis tetraspis.Jayanthi, J., Karthigeyan, K., Sumathi, R., & Jalal, J. S. Taxonomic note on Phalaenopsis speciosa (Orchidaceae) in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India.
