Várzea is the Amazon forest type flooded seasonally by nutrient-rich whitewater rivers.
The rivers carry sediment eroded from the Andes, making várzea soils comparatively fertile. Flooding follows the annual rise and fall of major rivers, and plants and animals are adapted to prolonged periods underwater.
Várzea differs from igapó, which is flooded by acidic, nutrient-poor blackwater rivers. It also differs from terra firme forest, which usually remains above the seasonal flood level.
People sometimes use “flooded forest” as if it described one habitat, but Amazonian floodplains include several distinct environments. Várzea is especially important for agriculture, fisheries, forest products and wildlife along whitewater rivers.