Escape Root

Escape Root is a premium plant in Plants vs. Zombies 2, tied with Modern Day Part 2. When planted, Escape Root will take 10 seconds to arm itself before emerging, and afterwards will transform into either a Potato Mine, a Cherry Bomb, a Grapeshot, or a Primal Potato Mine upon contact with an enemy. The player can also switch Escape Root's place with another plant's simply by tapping Escape Root, then the plant the player wishes to swap; doing so will also instantly arm the plant. Escape Root is classified as an underground plant, and cannot be planted on, or switch place with plants on water tiles in the Big Wave Beach, on the planks in the Pirate Seas, in the minecarts in Wild West, or endangered plants in Save Our Seeds levels.

Origins
Escape Root is a portmanteau of "escape route" and "root". Its name refers to its main ability; to swap places with a selected plant, thus helping the plant escape from danger.

Almanac entry
Sun cost: 50 Escape Roots explode on contact, and can be swapped with other plants that are in danger.

DAMAGE: Massive RANGE: Touch RECHARGE: Sluggish

Special: tap Escape Root and another plant to swap them

The other plants put on a big surprise party for Escape Root last week, but he did his thing and suddenly it was a surprise party...FOR THEM!

Plant Food effect
When fed Plant Food, Escape Root will summon two copies of itself next to a zombie one at a time that will turn into a random explosive plant.

Strategies
As its own name says, this plant can be used on some levels where there are large hordes so the player can protect a powerful plant, simply by swapping place with them. You can use Sweet Potato to gather many zombies at a single place and later swap place with this plant in order to instantly destroy the zombies. Its more accurate efficiency if the zombies are all in a single square, since the explosion range of this plant is not much trustworthy.

A thing to remember about the Escape Root is that it can be swapped with plants multiple times. This is useful for moving a powerful plant in to another lane multiple times.

You could also use this well with Grimrose. If you plant a Grimrose (which would be next to a Moonflower) on a lane with a zombie and no other zombies come, you could use Escape Root to swap it to a lane where there are zombies.

Trivia

 * There is a glitch where Escape Root does not spawn an explosive plant when a zombie is near. Instead, just as when it has not armed yet, it gets chewed on.
 * There is a glitch where a Gargantuar Prime is unable to destroy an Escape Root. When this happens, the Escape Root is unable to transform. Every time the explosive plant is about to detonate, it is smashed and turns back into an Escape Root. This leads to the Gargantuar repeatedly smashing the Escape Root.
 * This is the third plant which can turn into another, with the first one being Imitater and the second being Intensive Carrot.
 * If you use Plant Food on an Escape Root when there is one zombie on the screen and there are no other zombies after it explodes, the boosted Escape Root will spawn an Escape Root on itself. After it explodes, the Escape Root's dirt cannot be seen.
 * Despite Penny saying it can be swapped with endangered plants, the endangered plants in Save Our Seeds can't be swapped with Escape Root. This may be an error on the plant's code or false advertising.
 * Additionally, Penny could've meant endangered plants as in plants about to be threatened or overwhelmed.
 * Like Potato Mine and Primal Potato Mine, Escape Root doesn't activate if a flying zombie hovers over it.
 * If a Plant Food fed Infi-nut switches places with Escape Root, the force field remains on the same place. Destroying or shoveling the Infi-nut doesn't remove the shield.
 * Escape Root is the only premium plant to be pre-picked for the player (not in Locked and Loaded levels).
 * It is the only plant to be based on a root.
 * It's form also appears to be knotted.
 * When you tap an Escape Root to swap it with another plant, it positions its roots as if it were asking where you would want it to go.
 * This is the only premium plant that features another premium plant within it.
 * That plant is the Grapeshot, which costs more sun and more money than the Escape Root.
 * This plant has the same amount of arms as a Celery Stalker, thus making these the two plants with the most arms in the game.