This caused quite a sensation when it first appeared on the scene in some quantity in the mid- 1990s and it seems extraordinary that such a large-flowered flamboyant orchid could have escaped the notice of plant hunters and botanists for so long. This species is variable in flower colour, size and lip markings. Usually the petals and sepals are white, commonly a little ragged or twisted, the lip is flushed yellow with varying degrees of pale brown to orange spotting. Unfortunately, its primary hybrid with Pln. formosana = Glacier Peak which is vigorous, easier to grow and widely available can easily be confused with or even deliberately be passed off as true grandiflora with the result that it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the wheat from the chaff.