Peashooter

The Peashooter is the very first plant obtained, and the first combative plant used by the player. It is the only regular offensive plant available until one obtains the Snow Pea in level 1-7.

The design for the Peashooter appears to be loosely based on the Codonopsis pilosula, a type of bellflower, and its weapon a reference to the pisum sativum.

Its name is a pun on "pea" and "pea shooter", which is a toy consisting of a long tube that the user can blow through to shoot dried peas or small bits of paper, like a weak gun. A peashooter can be considered an automated, living pea shooter, going along with its namesake.

It shoots peas while attacking zombies.

Usage
The Peashooter shoots peas at what is considered a 'normal' rate. It can kill an ordinary Zombie in 10 shots.

Suburban Almanac Entry
Peashooter

Peashooters are your first line of defense. They shoot peas at attacking zombies.

Damage: normal

How can a single plant grow and shoot so many peas so quickly? Peashooter says, "hard work, commitment, and a healthy, well-balanced breakfast of sunlight and high-fiber carbon dioxide make it all possible."

Cost: 100

Recharge: fast

Strategy
The Peashooter is the standard firepower in your floral arsenal, and the first offensive plant made available to the player. This is the only plant used in level 1-1 in Adventure mode. The plant is meant to be placed in the lane of an oncoming zombie, where it will fire upon the zombie with peas until it has been neutralized (fires one pea per 1.4 seconds). Peashooters are useful for early defense, so once the player has sufficient Sun, perhaps from Potato Mines, better offensive plants like the Snow Pea and Repeater should be added to the row for a more powerful attack.

Peashooting plants of any variety are not recommended for the roof levels, as they cannot shoot over the sloping angle of the roof unless they are in the first sloped column. The only time when you should use them is when trying to earn the Grounded Achievement. Apart from placing them in said column, they can also be used on the flat portion of the roof, though they become may be needed to be reinforced with Pumpkins, as they become more vulnerable to attacks.

Heat Wave Mini-game
Within the Heat Wave mini-game, the Peashooter, at first glance, would seem to operate as it would under normal circumstances. However, immediately after shouting into the microphone on the DS system, some of the Peashooters on screen will gain an orange tint and begin shooting a constant stream of peas. When this occurs, use these Peashooters to defeat tougher zombies, such as the Football Zombie or Buckethead Zombie.

During the level, some Peashooters may take on a brownish tint and slow their shooting. This state will end when you shout into the microphone (though only when able), and they will all become orange-tinted. Move these Peashooters to a different row from that of the zombie's advance, so as to preserve them for later on (when they are capable of shooting again).

Trivia

 * Peashooter is a male plant.
 * On the Plants vs. Zombies website, in the Character section, the Peashooter shown has the Repeater's leafy back. This also occurs in the Mini-game "Slot Machine" on the Machine's plant and on the back cover of the Nintendo DS "Instructions Thingy." Also on the XBLA version on the Beghouled minigame cover, as well as the Popcap website. In the background for the Plants vs Zombies YouTube channel on the left side also features the said Peashooter. This also happens in the iPad version. The pictures of the peashooters in the ZomBotany, Beghouled, and Column Like You See 'Em has the back of a Repeater.
 * In the Plants vs. Zombies website, when on the Zombatar tab, a Peashooter with blue hair can be seen in a corner of the screen.
 * The Peashooter and the Gatling Pea are the only plants that have a zombie hybrid type that doesn't show a full detail as a head.
 * Peashooters are the first of many pea-shooting plants in the game, the others being Repeater, Threepeater, Split Pea, and Gatling Pea.
 * The Peashooter appears in the most mini-games by itself: Slot Machine, It's Raining Seeds, Invisighoul, Big Trouble Little Zombie, Portal Combat, Beghouled, Beghouled Twist, Heavy Weapon and Heat Wave.
 * On the loading screen of Plants vs. Zombies, there is a Peashooter with eyebrows.
 * Peashooters are the most common class of plants.
 * The Peashooter and the Imitater are the only non-upgrade plants that are not obtained by completing a level.