United States / Grow / creeper

creeper (Parthenocissus sp.)
Photo: (c) M. Whitson, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

creeper

Parthenocissus sp. (accepted: Parthenocissus) · Vitaceae · all Parthenocissus records · also called Boston Ivy, Virginia creeper · Wikipedia

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Creeper is rated fire resistant, with three expert guides recommending Parthenocissus for fire-conscious gardens.

Valencia’s regional government classifies it as a recommended low-flammability climber. Girona’s provincial government and Catalonia’s fire service also rate Parthenocissus species “recommended” under a garden-suitability method that considers fire research, fuel structure, maintenance, origin, invasiveness, and firefighters’ experience. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension lists Boston ivy and Virginia creeper as fire-resistant plants, explaining that such plants tend to resist ignition when irrigated and maintained.

The agreement is reassuring, but “fire resistant” does not mean fireproof. The Arizona guidance makes water and upkeep part of its finding, while the Girona method weighs several practical qualities rather than flammability alone. Creeper is therefore a reasonable vine for a fire-conscious planting plan, provided it receives the irrigation and maintenance assumed by the guidance.

Form
vine
Rated in
Catalonia, Spain; Valencia, Spain / western Mediterranean; Yavapai County, Arizona
On this lot

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence
Fire-resistant — location does not change the cited classification.
Placement evidence
1 source placement record; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions
Catalonia, Spain; Valencia, Spain / western Mediterranean; Yavapai County, Arizona
Typed publication scope: 1 scope across 1 cited fire source

2. Why this plant is relevant here

State distribution
Documented in AZ.

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

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.

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.

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.

Recommends (3)

Corroboration (1 rows from 1 source)
  • Fire-Resistant and Fire-Prone Plants Common to Yavapai County (Bulletin 34) — University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County · v1.2 · original source Corroboration Expert-curated lineage: unknown

    “Fire-Resistant Plants”

    Listed as Boston Ivy, Virginia creeper — Parthenocissus sp.. The bulletin says fire-resistant plants tend to resist ignition when irrigated and maintained, while fire-prone plants may ignite readily and burn intensely.

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

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Parthenocissus sp. (Boston Ivy, Virginia creeper). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/parthenocissus/. Last verified 2026-08-23.