Plants vs. Zombies/Plants

There are 49 different types of plants in the game; they serve as your line of defence between you and the zombies. Each plant has its own special attributes, stengths and weaknesses that may help or hinder them when battling the zombies. You initially start Adventure Mode with only one type of plant, but most levels in Adventure Mode will reward you with a new type of plant upon victory.

In addition, eight of the 49 plants are "upgrade plants" which serve to improve the capabilities of existing plants, and one plant (Imitater) is neither a normal nor an upgrade plant.

Finally, there are two plants only available in the "Wall-nut Bowling" minigame and its sequel.

The order of the plants on this page is the order they appear in the "Suburban Almanac"; the in-game bio of each plant and zombie.

Peashooter
Peashooter is the first plant you obtain in the game. When a zombie enters his lane he will fire a pea every 1.5 seconds at the zombie. Each pea does 20 damage, and it takes 10 peas to kill a basic zombie. While Peashooter is your first plant, he should be phased out in favour of stronger plants later on.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal
 * Cost: 100 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Sunflower
Sunflower is the first sun-producing plant you obtain, and the primary one in daytime levels. Sunflowers produce extra sun, one unit at a time every 24 seconds, allowing you to plant more plants. As a general rule, the player should try to plant at least one column of them, although two to three columns may be used to allow for a wider range of tactical choices.
 * Type: Sun-producing
 * Sun Production: Normal
 * Cost: 50 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Can Be Upgraded

When Twin Sunflower is bought, it can be planted on normal Sunflowers to produce twice the sun as a normal one.

Cherry Bomb
Cherry Bomb is the first instant-kill plant obtained. After being planted they will expand for 1.2 seconds and then detonate, dealing 1800 damage to all zombies in a 3x3 area around themselves (which will instantly kill most zombies).
 * Type: Offensive - Instant-kill
 * Damage: Kills most zombies instantly
 * Cost: 150 sun
 * Recharge: Very slow

Wall-nut
Wall-nut is the first defensive plant obtained. While it takes most zombies five to six bites to eat most plants, Wall-nut can absorb 40 bites, his appearance changing based on how much health he has left. He is also the standard ammo in the "Wall-nut Bowling" minigame.
 * Type: Defensive
 * Toughness: High
 * Cost: 50 sun
 * Recharge: Slow

Potato Mine
Potato Mine, as his name suggests, is the plant equivalent of the landmine. When he is planted, he will need 14 seconds to arm himself before surfacing, during which he is vulnerable to being eaten. After that, when a zombie steps on him he will detonate, dealing 1800 damage to that zombie and leaving behind a comic-esque "SPUDOW!".
 * Type: Offensive - Instant-kill
 * Damage: Kills most zombies instantly
 * Cost: 25 sun
 * Recharge: Slow

Snow Pea
Snow Pea looks similar to Peashooter, but he is blue, and his peas are frozen. When a zombie is hit by a frozen pea it will be slowed to half its original speed and will eat at a slower pace. Additional Snow Peas will not slow down the zombies any further, so only one column should be used.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal, but slows zombie movement
 * Cost: 175 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Chomper
Think of Chomper as a re-usable Potato Mine of sorts. He will instantly eat the first zombie that gets close, but he then requires 42 seconds to chew his meal, making him vulnerable to attack. He works best when planted just behind a defensive plant such as Wall-nut. He also works well as a backup or when one zombie has gotten past your main defences.
 * Type: Offensive - Instant-kill
 * Damage: Instantly kills one zombie
 * Cost: 150 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Repeater
Unlike Peashooter, Repeater fires two peas at a time. This means it will take more time to deploy him initially, but he will prove to be much more useful as the level progresses.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal (for each pea)
 * Cost: 200 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Can Be Upgraded

Repeater can be upgraded to Gatling Pea, which shoots 4 peas at once. Gatling Pea is useful for taking out stronger zombies.

Puff-shroom
Puff-shroom is the first night plant obtained. He can be planted very quickly since he does not require any sun. To attack he fires spores that deal the same damage as peas, but he can only fire up to three spaces ahead, so he will have difficulty combating stronger zombies. He basically serves the role of "cannon fodder"; he is meant to be planted and eaten in great quantities to stall the horde.
 * Type: Offensive - Short-range
 * Damage: Normal
 * Cost: 0 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Sleeps during the day

Sun-shroom
Sun-shroom is essentially a nighttime version of Sunflower. When initially planted he will only give out 15 sun at a time, but after two minutes he will grow in size and will begin producing 25 sun like Sunflower. This makes him more efficient than Sunflower in nighttime levels, but it is not advised to use him in the day.
 * Type: Sun-producing
 * Sun Production: Low, then normal
 * Cost: 25 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Sleeps during the day

Fume-shroom
Fume-shroom fires fumes that will pass through shields such as screen doors and ladders. He also can fire up to four spaces in comparison to Puff-shroom's three. In addition, his fumes will damage all zombies in their area of effect.
 * Type: Offensive - Short-range
 * Cost: 75 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Sleeps during the day
 * Can Be Upgraded

Fume-Shroom can be upgraded to Gloom-Shroom, which shoots fumes in 8 directions, hitting every zombie in an area of effect. Useful if planted behind defensive plants.

Grave Buster
Grave Buster is only used during the nighttime levels when graves appear on the lawn. During the final wave, extra zombies rise from the graves, plus they take up space that could be used for planting. When planted on a grave, Grave Buster will destroy the grave, leaving behind a silver or occasionally gold coin. However, he takes five seconds to actually destroy the grave, so you must defend him from zombies while he's working.
 * Type: Environment modifier
 * Effect: Destroys graves, single use.
 * Cost: 75 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Hypno-shroom
When Hypno-shroom is eaten, the zombie that ate him will be hypnotised, turning purple. The zombie is now an ally, and it will turn around and attack its former comrades. The zombie will typically retain its special abilities, but will use them for the player's benefit.
 * Type: Offensive - Instant-kill, mushroom
 * Cost: 75 sun
 * Recharge: Slow
 * Sleeps during the day

Scaredy-shroom
Scaredy-shroom has a long range like Peashooter, so he is able to fire at zombies from a long way away. However, if the zombies get within 2 spaces in front of him he will duck down and stop shooting. Scaredy-shroom is best kept at the back of your defences to be effective, and he complements Fume-shroom and Puff-shroom well.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal
 * Cost: 25 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Sleeps during the day

Ice-shroom
Ice-shroom doesn't damage zombies. Rather, upon planting he freezes all the zombies on screen, stopping their movement. The zombies will gradually start moving again, but your plants will have ample opportunity to deal damage before that happens.
 * Type: Instant-effect, mushroom
 * Damage: Very light, immobilises zombies
 * Cost: 75 sun
 * Recharge: Very slow
 * Sleeps during the day

Doom-shroom
Doom-shroom is essentially a supercharged Cherry Bomb. He has a larger area-of-effect than Cherry Bomb (7x5 vs 3x3), but the trade-off is that he creates a crater in the space he was planted on, which cannot be planted on. The crater does eventually disappear after three minutes, but Doom-shroom is mostly for emergencies.
 * Type: Offensive - Instant-kill, mushroom
 * Damage: Kills most zombies instantly
 * Cost: 125 sun
 * Recharge: Very slow
 * Sleeps during the day

Lily Pad
Lily Pad is an aquatic plant that allows you to plant a non-aquatic plant on top of him. He can also hold up zombies slightly, for the zombie must eat the plant on top of Lily Pad, then Lily Pad himself. Note that Potato Mines and other underground plants cannot be planted on Lily Pad.
 * Type: Environment modifier
 * Cost: 25 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Must be planted in water
 * Can Be Upgraded

Lily Pad can be upgraded to Cat-tail, which can shoot spikes at any zombie in any lane. Cat-tail is often considered the most powerful pool plant.

Squash
Squash is a de-facto upgrade for Potato Mine. Unlike Potato Mine, Squash is ready to go from the instant he's planted. When a zombie gets within one space (forward or behind) of Squash he will jump and crush the offending zombie. He is also able to destroy close-packed groups of zombies.
 * Type: Offensive - Instant-kill
 * Damage: Kills most zombies instantly
 * Cost: 50 sun
 * Recharge: slow

Threepeater
Threepeater is a very expensive but powerful plant which fires peas across three lanes. He's the equivalent of a column of three Peashooters in the space of one. Placed strategically, just two Threepeaters can cover the whole lawn.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal (each pea)
 * Cost: 325 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Tangle Kelp
Tangle Kelp is the Squash of the pool. When a zombie gets near him, he will pull the zombie underwater, instantly killing it.
 * Type: Offensive - Instant-kill
 * Damage: Kills most zombies instantly
 * Cost: 25 sun
 * Recharge: Slow
 * Must be planted in water

Jalapeno
Jalapeno destroys all zombies in one lane, no matter where along the lane he is planted. He can also melt the ice trails left by Zomboni.
 * Type: Offensive - Instant-kill
 * Damage: Kills most zombies instantly
 * Cost: 125 sun
 * Recharge: Very slow

Spikeweed
Spikeweed will hurt zombies that step on him. He can also pop the tires of a Zomboni or Catapult Zombie, killing them instantly after a delay, but he will be destroyed in the process.
 * Type: Offensive - Area of effect
 * Damage: 5 damage over time/instant death to vehicles but also itself
 * Cost: 100 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Can Be Upgraded

Spikeweed can be upgraded to Spikerock, which can survive Zomboni and Catapult Zombie, as well as do more damage. Useful when planted at the front of the lane or in front of Wallnut or Tallnut

Torchwood
Torchwood is a powerful plant that serves to boost the damage of pea-shooting plants. Any peas that pass through him will turn into fireballs, doubling their damage, and allowing them to deal splash damage. If a frozen pea passes through him it will thaw out and turn into a regular pea. He can also clear fog if it is present.
 * Type: Offensive - Boost
 * Damage: None on his own, doubles damage of peas
 * Cost: 175 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Tall-nut
Tall-nut is a tall, heavy-duty version of Wall-nut. He can take more damage before being eaten (around 80 bites), and he cannot be vaulted or jumped over by zombies such as Pole Vaulting Zombie.
 * Type: Defensive
 * Toughness: High
 * Cost: 125 sun
 * Recharge: Slow
 * Special: Cannot be vaulted or jumped over

Sea-shroom
Sea-shroom is essentially a water version of Puff-shroom, shooting short-ranged spores. He serves a similar role as "cannon fodder", though this is somewhat limited due to his slow recharge rate.
 * Type: Offensive - Short-range
 * Damage: Normal
 * Cost: 0 sun
 * Recharge: Slow
 * Must be planted in water
 * Sleeps during the day

Plantern
Plantern serves to clear away fog in levels where it is present. He also appears in the Vasebreaker puzzles where he can reveal the contents of nearby vases.
 * Type: Environment modifier
 * Toughness: Normal
 * Cost: 25 sun
 * Recharge: Slow

Cactus
Cactus shoots spikes that damage zombies at the same rate as peas. She is introduced as a counter to Balloon Zombies: when she sees one, she will stretch up to shoot a spike to pop its balloon, dropping it to the ground.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal
 * Cost: 125 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Blover
When Blover is planted, he will spin his leaves rapidly to blow away any fog. Any Balloon Zombies present will also be blown away and instantly killed.
 * Type: Environment modifier
 * Cost: 125 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Split Pea
Split Pea is a combination of a forward-shooting Peashooter and a backward-shooting Repeater, which permits him to shoot peas forward and backward. He is introduced as a counter to Digger Zombies and other zombies that can get behind the player's defenses.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal
 * Cost: 125 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Starfruit
Starfruit shoots stars in five directions, along the points of a star. His main role is to help attack lanes other than his own.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal
 * Cost: 125 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Pumpkin
Pumpkin has the unique ability to be planted on another plant, and he will protect the plant inside him. This makes him useful for protecting plants in more vulnerable locations.
 * Type: Defensive
 * Toughness: High
 * Cost: 125 sun
 * Recharge: Slow

Magnet-shroom
Magnet-shroom can remove helmets and other metal objects from zombies, allowing him to quickly neutralise powerful threats such as Buckethead Zombies and Football Zombies. However, after stealing a metal object he needs 15 seconds to recover before he can steal another object.
 * Type: Defensive
 * Toughness: High
 * Cost: 100 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Sleeps during the day

Cabbage-pult
Cabbage-pult is the first catapult plant introduced. He is also the first roof plant introduced - normal long-range plants have difficulty on the roof due to its slant blocking straight projectiles, so catapult plants must be used. As his name suggests, Cabbage-pult launches cabbages, which do twice the damage of a pea, at half of Peashooter's firing rate.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Normal
 * Cost: 100 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Flower Pot
Flower Pot is the Lily Pad of the roof, allowing you to plant another plant on top of him.
 * Type: Environment modifier
 * Cost: 25 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Kernel-pult
Normally Kernel-pult lobs corn kernels at zombies at the same rate as Cabbage-pult, the kernels doing the same damage as a pea. However, he has a 25% chance of instead launching butter, which will do more damage and stun the zombie for 5 seconds upon impact.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Light (kernel), normal (butter)
 * Cost: 100 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Can Be Upgraded

Kernel-pult can be upgraded to Cob Cannon, which can be made if one placed two rows of Kernel-pults and then placed the upgrade on top of two of the Kernel-pults. Cob Cannon can destroy any tile on the map, instantly killing any zombies around or on the tile, but has a really slow reload time.

Coffee Bean
Coffee Bean allows you to use mushrooms during the day. Normally, mushrooms will sleep in daytime levels, but Coffee Bean can be planted on them to wake them up.
 * Type: Environment modifier
 * Cost: 75 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Garlic
When a zombie bites Garlic, it will make a disgusted face and a "BLECH!" noise, before moving to the lane above or below its current lane. This makes Garlic useful to funnel zombies down lanes with greater defences.
 * Type: Defensive
 * Toughness: High
 * Cost: 50 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Umbrella Leaf
Umbrella Leaf has the ability to protect plants from Bungee Zombies and the basketballs lobbed by Catapult Zombie. When these come down on the plants in a 3x3 area around Umbrella Leaf he will spring up to block the projectile/zombie.
 * Type: Defensive
 * Toughness: Normal
 * Cost: 50 sun
 * Recharge: Fast

Marigold
Every 24 seconds Marigold will produce either a silver or a gold coin, gold coins being rarer than silver ones. Whilst this makes her useless in standard gameplay, she can be useful in the Last Stand minigame for money farming.
 * Type: Money-producing
 * Sun Production: Normal
 * Cost: 50 sun
 * Recharge: Slow

Melon-pult
Sun-for-damage, Melon-pult delivers the biggest punch of all non-upgrade plants. The melons he launches deal the equivalent of four peas of damage to the zombie hit, and splash damage to surrounding zombies.
 * Type: Offensive - Long-range
 * Damage: Heavy
 * Cost: 300 sun
 * Recharge: Fast
 * Can Be Upgraded

Melon-pult can be upgraded to Winter Melon, which is a combination of Snow Pea's frost effect and Melon-pult's crazy damage. Winter Melon is often considered the most powerful in terms of damage and ability.