Torchwood

The  lights regular peas on fire when they pass through its flame, adding extra damage and an additional attack to Zombies that are near. Frozen Peas will turn into regular Peas when passing through a Torchwood. When planted during the Fog levels, it clears the fog around it for approximately one-and-a-quarter spaces. The only other plants that can eliminate fog until eaten is the Plantern. The Torchwood is just a tree trunk with fire in it.

Although there is a flowering plant family known as Torchwood (Burseraceae), which includes frankincense and myrrh, the name may also be a reference to the eponymous organization in the Doctor Who spin-off series.

Suburban Almanac Entry
Torchwood

Torchwoods turn peas that pass through them into fireballs that deal twice as much damage.

Special: doubles the damage of peas that pass through it. Fireballs deal damage to nearby zombies on impact

Everybody likes and respects Torchwood. They like him for his integrity, for his steadfast friendship, for his ability to greatly maximize pea damage. But Torchwood has a secret: He can't read.

Cost: 175

Recharge: fast

Usage
The player should place Torchwoods in any lane in front of any plant that shoots peas to turn the peas into flaming projectiles that do double the normal damage. Flaming peas also deal splash damage (equivalant to a normal pea's damage) to all nearby zombies. However, if a frozen pea passes through a Torchwood, it will melt, becoming a normal pea that does normal damage but if it passes through two than it will turn into a flaming pea. Any zombie with a shield or a Zomboni will nullify the splash effect. A flaming pea also defrosts zombies, so using them in combination with Ice-shrooms, Winter Melons or Snow Peas are not recommended.

Strategy
Torchwood should only be taken on levels where the player plans to use peas in order to maximize the damage potential. The player only needs one in each lane, but it helps to plant one before placing a second pea-shooting plant in the same lane, as the fireball area damage will be more important than firing twice as fast. The player should keep Torchwoods behind his or her regular defenses such as Wall-nuts and Tall-nuts, but far enough to the right so that he or she can place several pea-shooting plants behind it. One of the most recommened uses for a Torchwood is with Gatling Peas, so the player uses the attack, increasing bonus from the Torchwood and the multiple and very fast firing from a Gatling Pea to kill most Zombies very easily. The player should plan ahead if he or she intends to use Snow Peas, though, and put them to the right of any Torchwoods, as frozen peas melt when they go through a Torchwood. This is usually not worth it, however, as flaming peas will defrost zombies (this includes freezing from other plants as well). Using Torchwood in conjunction with freezing plants is discouraged, as the freezing will have little or no effect.

If the player is using Split Peas to defend against zombies that can bypass his or her defenses, such as Digger Zombies or Imps (thrown by Gargantuars), he or she can place a Split Pea to the right of a Torchwood so its rear-firing peas will catch fire, doing extra damage. This works best if the player has two or three Split Peas to the right of a Torchwood with other pea-shooting plants behind it.

The Torchwood should not be used in Fog levels for clearing fog because it only clears the fog a small area around it (a 3x3 plus shape). The player should instead use a Plantern or Blover instead unless aiming for the Blind Faith achievement; the player may use the Torchwood in getting this achievement. However, the achievement Nebulaphile (the DS version of the achivement) does not allow even a Torchwood.

The Torchwood will only affect peas, not any other projectiles.

When Crazy Dave selects them, the player should try to use them to their full potential.

Trivia

 * In the DS version, an Imitater Torchwood is not a grayscale version, but rather a green version with blue fire and eyes.
 * Rain, the Watering Can in the Zen Garden and Ice-shrooms do not extinguish Torchwood fire.
 * The Torchwood does not affect peas shot by Peashooter Zombies or Gatling Pea Zombies; instead, the peas will only damage the Torchwood. That might be because ZomBotany and ZomBotany 2 would be too hard.
 * Torchwood has the distinction of being unable to read according to its Suburban Almanac Entry, implying that most other plants do know how to read despite them being plants. This may be Torchwood burns up everything in range, so he cannot read, although he cannot burn non-pea projectiles.
 * If the player looks closely, Torchwood's eyes are yellow with red pupils.
 * Torchwood and Jalapeno are the only Plants able to produce fire.
 * It is unknown why Torchwood's wooden body doesn't burn.
 * Torchwood, Plantern and Blover are the only Plants that can remove fog.