Peashooter

The Peashooter is the first combative plant that can be used by the player. It is also the only plant the player can use for the first time on Adventure level 1-1.

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

In the Popcap website, the Peashooter has 2 leaves at the back, making it look like a Repeater.

Usage
The Peashooter shoots peas at what is considered a 'normal' rate (approximately one pea every 1.4 seconds). It can kill an ordinary Zombie in 10 shots (approximately 3 patches).

Suburban Almanac Entry
Peashooter

Peashooters are your first defense. They shoot peas to attack 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. 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. Peashooters are useful for early defense, so once the player has two or three per row (or enough sun), better offensive plants like the Snow Pea and Repeater should be added to the row for a more powerful attack.

Peashooters 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. Apart from placing them in said column, they can also be used on the flat portion of the roof, though they become more vulnerable to Bungee attacks.

Heat Wave Minigame
Within the Heat Wave minigame, 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 peas at six times the normal rate. When this occurs, use these Peashooters to defeat tougher zombies, such as the Football Zombie or Conehead Zombie.

Later on in the level, some Peashooters may take on a brownish tint and stop shooting. This state will end when you shout into the microphone (though only when able). 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

 * On the Plants vs. Zombies website, in the Character section, the Peashooter shown has the Repeater's back. This also occurs in the Mini-game "Slot Machine" on the Machine's plant.
 * The Peashooter seems to resemble the Pokémon Bellsprout.
 * 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 has a zombie hybrid that doesn't show a full detail as a head.
 * The Peashooter appears in the most mini-games by itself: Slot Machine, Invisighoul,Big Trouble Little Zombie, Portal Combat, Beghouled, Beghouled Twist, Heavy Weapon and Heat Wave.