Moonflower

Moonflower is the first plant obtained in Modern Day in Plants vs. Zombies 2. It is a sun-producing plant, and produces 25 sun by default plus another 25 sun for each shadow plant adjacent to it, with the maximum generation being 100 sun for three adjacent shadow plants. Additionally, it generates a 3x3 field around it that can power other shadow plants. It is a environment modifier.

Origins
Moonflower is based on the plants in the genus Ipomoea, a large and diverse group with common names including morning glory, water convolvulus or kangkung, sweet potato, bindweed, moonflower, and the like. Its appearance may be based on Ipomoea alba or Ipomoea violacea and its blue coloration may be based on Ipomoea tricolor.

Almanac entry
Sun cost:  50

TOUGHNESS:  Typical

RECHARGE:  Mediocre

Moonflowers radiate a glow that powers up adjacent Shadow plants.

Special:  emits 25 sun and more 25 sun for each adjacent shadow plant up to four

Moonflower is a fierce collaborator. She'll collaborate with anything. She'd collaborate with a table if she could.

Plant Food effect
When fed with Plant Food, Moonflower will give an amount of sun equivalent to its normal sun drop, which also follows adjacency bonus from shadow plants. Moonflower will also generate a personal shield that can absorb up to ten bites, or a smash from a Gargantuar; the shield degrades twice, at four and eight bites.

Strategies
When fully powered, Moonflower is undoubtedly a powerful sun generator, as it gives as much sun as Twin Sunflower, plus it can be planted more easily in the early game. It should be noted, however, that it will give sun more slowly when planted away from other shadow plants, and when one is eaten, it can immediately lower the sun production of other Moonflowers, so watch out for zombies like Prospector Zombies, pterodactyls, or Zombie Parrots. Also, take note that Moonflowers bound by Octo Zombie's octopi or turned into a sheep by Wizard Zombie will have their boosting aura removed until they are freed.

Moonflower is also a vital plant if the player is considering planting the other shadow plants (Nightshade, Shadow-shroom, Dusk Lobber and Grimrose), as Moonflower's shadow field improves their performance. So if the player is considering making the shadow plants their main offensives, plant the Moonflowers on strategic tiles that makes the aura reach the entire lawn.

Moonflower's greatest weakness, however, is its poor Plant Food ability, which makes it a poor choice in the Endless Zone as the sun produced is not enough to quickly prepare a defense against the incoming horde. Using Gold Bloom with it would resolve from it being a poor choice. Also, like Infi-nut, its force field can counter certain zombies, but it is very weak and can only protect itself unlike the other.

Trivia

 * It is the second plant who can give varying units of sun, the first being Sun-shroom.
 * Unlike Sun-shroom, Moonflower depends on the number of shadow plants surrounding it to increase the amount of sun given.
 * The wand it "holds" as its costume looks similar to the wand that Sailor Moon owns.
 * Shadow plants that are powered have a similar color scheme to Shadow Flower from Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, but without black shines.
 * As a glitch, Moonflower could be chosen on Dark Ages - Night 14, but it was still prohibited on Last Stand levels on the 4.4.1 version. As of the 4.5.1 update, this has been fixed.
 * The same glitch also applied in Sun Bombs levels but was also fixed.
 * It is the second sun-producing plant in Plants vs. Zombies 2 that has a unique ability other than to produce sun, the first being Sunflower Singer in the Chinese version.
 * However, it is the first plant to do so in the international version.
 * Both sun-producing plants affect other plants as well.
 * It is the only sun-producing plant that appears in a conveyor-belt level, which is Modern Day - Day 34. However, in this level, it does not produce sun, except when the player feeds it Plant Food.
 * It is the only sun-producing plant that doesn't produce more sun when fed by Plant Food but just produces the sun that it normally can and creates a shield around itself.
 * It is the first and only sun-producing plant with defensive abilities (Plant Food).
 * Moonflower is one of six plants to be fully recharged at the start of a level, the others being Sunflower, Sun-shroom, Primal Sunflower, Gold Bloom, and Electric Currant.
 * Coincidentally, all of them except for Electric Currant are sun-producing plants.