Columbines Aquilegia

Of eight species assessed, five are rated fire resistant, while for three the sources do not take a side. The strongest example is columbine, the genus’s most-studied member, which has substantial assessment behind its resistant rating. One finding says columbine can be firewise when properly used and maintained. European columbine also carries a very low flammability classification.

The species details add some caution. Red columbine is rated fire resistant on a handful of assessments, though one assessment places it under a medium-flammability tag. Golden columbine is also rated resistant on a handful of assessments, but its cited ignitability score comes without an explanation of what that score means. Neither point erases the resistant ratings, but each shows why the individual findings matter.

Aquilegia members are grown as perennials and groundcovers in the Ranunculaceae family. The two members measured mature at about 2 to 3 feet, and the three members with hardiness information span USDA zones 3a to 4b. Overall, the genus leans fire resistant, but the three species for which the sources take no side should be judged individually rather than given the majority verdict.