Thamnosma texana (Dutchman's Breeches)
Also known as Texas Desert-rue, Rue Of The Mountains, Ruda Del Monte.
Dutchman's Breeches is a small, fragrant perennial of Texas's dry, rocky limestone country. It is a low, aromatic plant with a woody base and thin, herbaceous stems that rise up to about 20 inches. The tiny narrow leaves are dotted with glands, and both the foliage and the flowers carry a scent. Small white, yellow or purple flowers line the upper half of the stems from March through June.
The plant is named for its fruit, a two-lobed, inflated capsule that gave rise to the common name "Dutchman's Breeches." It grows wild in shallow soil over limestone on the Edwards Plateau, into south Texas, and west into the Trans-Pecos. It needs full sun, dry soil and very little water.
AT A GLANCE
| Texas native | Yes |
| Water use | Low |
| Sun exposure | Sun |
| Bloom color | White, yellow, purple |
| Bloom time | Spring, summer |
| Mature height | 1-2 ft |
| Attracts | Butterflies |
| Host plant | Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly |
DISTRIBUTION MAPS
 Present in state |
 Present in county and native |
 Native to North America, but adventive & escaped in state |
 Not present in state |
 Present and rare, native in county |
 Previously present, now extinct |
 Questionable presence (cross-hatched, regardless of color) |
