Plumeria flowers are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. The flowers have no nectar, and simply dupe their pollinators. The moths inadvertently pollinate them by transferring pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar.

"Plumeria" species are easily propagated by taking a cutting of leafless stem tips in Spring and allowing them to dry at the base before inserting them into soil. They are also propagated via tissue culture both from cuttings of freshly elongated stems and aseptically germinated seed.

The easiest way to get started with your first Plumeria is to get a cutting from a nursery or online. Cuttings are usually about 15 inches long and can be stored for up to a year before being planted. Rooting a cutting is easy. Just create a potting mix of 50% cactus mix and 50% potting soil. Dip the dried end of your cutting into Clonex or Rootone then stick your Plumeria cutting into the new soil mix down to about 3 inches. At this point the cutting is susceptible to rotting if the soil is kept wet. It is recommended that you water the cutting sparingly until it has several well formed leaves. If the weather is hot you can lightly water every couple of days. Just be sure the soil is dry most of the time. The cutting will develop roots in about 6 weeks. You will know that the roots have begun to grow when the leaves begin to form.

After the Plumeria begins to grow you will be able to establish a water and feed schedule. They are easy to care for and do not require a lot of attention. Just look wait for the soil to become dry and then water the plant. The watering could occur every few days or as little as every week. It will depend on your climate whether it is dry, hot, wet, or cool. You need to consider the root ball. A large root may need a larger container in which the soil will need more moisture. You just don’t want the Plumeria to be wet all the time. Let it become dry occasionally. To get better flowers you will need fertilization for your plant. It needs a lot of nutrients, such as 10-50-10, as the 10 and 50 will offer better branching and flowers. You will need to fertilize 1 to 2 times in a month.

They can be kept in pots and brought in during the winter or kept as a house plant. Be sure to increase the size of your pot once the roots begin to come out the holes at the bottom. Remember that Plumeria need lots of direct sunlight. If you are going to keep it in the house or even if it is outside, be sure it gets at least 6 hours of sunlight for best growth and flowering.

The genus, originally spelled Plumiera, is named in honor of the seventeenth-century French botanist Charles Plumier, who traveled to the New World documenting many plant and animal species. The common name "Frangipani" comes from an Italian noble family, a sixteenth-century marquess of which invented a plumeria-scented perfume.  Many English speakers also simply use the generic name "plumeria".

They are now common naturelised plants in southern and southeastern Aisia, and in local folk beliefs provide shelter to ghosts and demons. The scent of the Plumeria has been associated with a vampire in Malay folklore, the pontianak.  They are associated with temples in both Hindu and Buddhist cultures, though Hindus do not use the flowers in their temple offerings.

In several Pacific islands, such as Thailand, Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, Tonga and the Cook Islands, Plumeria is used for making leis. In modern Polynesian culture, it can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status - over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken.

P. alba is the national flower of Nicaragua, and Laos, where it is known under the local name "Sacuanjoche" (Nicaragua) and "Champa" (Laos).

In Bangladeshi Culture most white flowers, and particularly plumeria (Bengali চম্পা chômpa or চাঁপা chãpa), are associated with funerals and death.