The tree is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in Cambodia and Thailand, and its flowers are admired for their pleasant fragrance, which is emitted especially in the evening. The fruit is edible when ripe, and is collected from the forest for consumption.[2][4] The dried flowers are used in traditional medicine to relieve fainting/dizziness and as a mild stimulant.[6] In ancient times, the flowers were used by Khmer people as a scent ingredient for lip waxes.[4]

The rumduol/lamduan's distinctive flowers are commonly evoked as a symbol,[2] and have long been used as a metaphor for women's beauty in Khmer and Thai literature.[4][7] The traditional Thai snack klip lamduan is a shortbread cookie made in the shape of the flower.[8]

The rumduol was declared the national flower of Cambodia in 2005.[4]

The lamduan flower also features as an important symbol in the Thai province of Sisaket, as ancient inscriptions attribute the name Dong Lamduan ('lamduan forest') to the surrounding area on the Thai–Cambodian border, a region exhibiting significant Northern Khmer heritage. It is regarded as the provincial tree, the provincial flower, and is featured on the provincial seal and in its official slogan.[8]