 Bumble bees and Giant Mason Bees readily visit the flowers in Maryland, U.S. People grow this tree as an ornamental in warm regions of North America.Due to its superior sonic properties, the wood is used for the soundboards of several Chinese instruments, including the "guqin" and "guzheng".According to an article in the journal "Nature" of 1884, the leaves of "Sterculia platanifolia" were dried for smoking; the reason for smoking it was not given, but another source simply says that it was used as a substitute for tobacco.