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Yes, bishop's goutweed is rated fire resistant, though the supporting primary evidence is limited.
Idaho Firewise gives this groundcover a fire-resistance score of 8 out of 10, within the range it recommends. Colorado State University Extension and the Colorado State Forest Service also show an 8 out of 10 ignitability score for the variegated form. Their guidance allows plants scoring 8, 9, or 10 in defensible-space zones 1 and 2. However, the Colorado source credits the Idaho materials as the basis of its scoring, so these matching numbers should not be mistaken for two fully independent trials. Together they support the fire-resistant rating, but not with broad testing across many regions.
Alaska's forestry program adds practical support by naming goutweed among plants that may be used in firewise landscapes, provided it is placed and maintained appropriately. That condition matters: the recommendation concerns a managed landscape plant, not a promise that it cannot ignite or burn.
Bishop's goutweed is in the Apiaceae family and has been introduced in 29 states, including Connecticut, Delaware, and Georgia. It is also flagged as invasive in two jurisdictions, so fire resistance is only one part of a planting decision. The best reading is favorable but measured: it qualifies as fire resistant in the available guidance, with proper placement and maintenance still required.
Alaska Division of Forestry opens with the wildfire threat to Alaskans and publishes Alaska firewise-landscape examples. FireApproved publishes 58 exact source owners from its 60 taxon entries and holds the taxon-free fern label. State publication scope does not establish suitability for every Alaska climate, site, or home-ignition-zone placement.
Colorado State University Extension and the Colorado State Forest Service publish Fact Sheet 6.305 for Colorado's WUI and varied ecosystems. FireApproved exposes all 114 exact source owners at Colorado publication scope while retaining score, elevation, water, and Idaho-carrier lineage. Publication scope is not suitability for every Colorado site or zone.
Southern Idaho (ID footprint); partial normalized coverage · 2013-11-08
The official database labels itself "For Southern Idaho" and describes Idaho residents at the urban-rangeland interface. FireApproved publishes 419 existing plant owners that cite its scored rows. This bounded Southern Idaho scope is regional context, not statewide coverage or a conclusion that the score transfers unchanged to every Idaho site.
2. Why this plant is relevant here
State distribution
Documented in CT, DC, DE, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV.
Native range
Introduced / established
30 sourced range or established records. This is not an invasive warning.
USDA hardiness
3. Legal, ecological, and broader status
Legal-list status
2 legal-list records; the Place chip matches exact scope.
Seed-list status
Reported invasive here
2 ecological invasive reports.
Broader regional context
Federal context
How to read this page
The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.
Native and introduced range evidence
These are exact U.S. botanical-area records from the cited range source. Native and
introduced describe biogeographic relationship, not fire performance or planting approval.
Doubtful and extinct rows stay visible but do not count as current presence.
The lossless worldwide derivative is retained once in the research corpus; object pages repeat only exact U.S. areas needed by the local lens. The JSON twin carries the same page assertions.
Where its sources say to plant it
Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating.
They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.
Fire Resistance of Plants Master Database: plantable at 30' from home [Idaho minimum planting distance] (with its recommendation)
Ignition-Resistant Landscape Plants: suitable for defensible-space zones 1-2 (score 8+) [CSU defensible-space zone] (with its recommendation)
Protect Your Home from Wildfire: Ground covers and perennials [Alaska DNR brochure sections] (with its recommendation)
The evidence
Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself
(a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or
republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.
“fire-resistance score 8 of 10”
· score 8 (idaho-0-10)
Ignition-Resistant Landscape Plants (Fact Sheet 6.305) — Colorado State University Extension / Colorado State Forest Service (Wildfire Mitigation Series) · 2025 · original sourcePrimary evidenceField programlineage: idaho-tree resolves to Fire Resistance of Plants Master Database
“ignitability score 8 of 10”
· score 8 (idaho-0-10)
CSU 6.305 table lists Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum' (variegated bishop's weed, goutweed) with the preserved ignitability score.
