Guaymaral y Torca ( es, Humedal Guaymaral y Torca) is a combined

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

, part of the Wetlands of Bogotá, located in the north of the Colombian capital in the localities Suba and Usaquén, Bogotá, Colombia. The wetlands on the

Bogotá savanna The Bogotá savanna is a montane savanna, located in the southwestern part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the center of Colombia. The Bogotá savanna has an extent of and an average altitude of . The savanna is situated in the Eastern Ran ...

cover an area of about . Guaymaral y Torca, the northernmost wetlands of Bogotá at the foot of the Eastern Hills, is composed of three parts, Guaymaral in the west in Suba (), Torca in the east in Usaquén () and a small strip along the dividing Autopista Norte between the two main wetlands. The wetlands are located in the Torca River basin.Humedal Guaymaral website
/ref>Humedal Torca website
/ref>Moreno et al., s.a., p.21 The Autopista Norte was constructed in 1952, dividing the wetlands.Aves el en separador del humedal Torca-Guaymaral
/ref>

Etymology

The word Guaymaral is derived from the

Chibcha The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan lan ...

name for '' Brosimum utile'', ''guaimaro'', cultivated by the indigenous people in the Valle de Upár and the

Muzo Muzo () is a town and municipality in the Western Boyacá Province, part of the department of Boyacá, Colombia. It is widely known as the world capital of emeralds for the mines containing the world's highest quality gems of this type. Muzo ...

.Plantas cultivadas y animales domésticos equinoccial I - Capítulo VI - Frutos y semillas (''Juglandaceas'' a ''Sapindaceas'')
-

Banco de la República The Bank of the Republic ( es, Banco de la República) is the central bank of Colombia. It was initially established under the regeneration era in 1880. Its main modern functions, under the new Colombian constitution were detailed by Congress ...

Torca is named after the Torca River.

Flora and fauna

Flora

Flora registered in Guaymaral y Torca are among others ''

Pennisetum clandestinum The tropical grass species ''Cenchrus clandestinus'' (previously Pennisetum clandestinum) is known by several common names, most often kikuyu grass, as it is native to the highland regions of East Africa that is home to the Kikuyu people. Becau ...

'', '' Salix humboldtiana'', ''

Ulex europaeus ''Ulex europaeus'', the gorse, common gorse, furze or whin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the British Isles and Western Europe. Description Growing to tall, it is an evergreen shrub. The young stems are g ...

'', '' Schonoplectus californicus'', '' Galium ascendens'', '' Bidens laevis'', '' Ludwigia peploides'', ''

Azolla filiculoides ''Azolla filiculoides'' (water fern) is a species of ''Azolla'', native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Americas which was introduced to Europe, North and sub-Saharan Africa, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the Caribbean and H ...

'', '' Holcus lanatus'', '' Eichhornia crassipe'', ''

Typha domingensis ''Typha domingensis'', known commonly as southern cattail or cumbungi, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus '' Typha''. Distribution and habitat It is found throughout temperate and tropical regions worldwide. It is sometimes found as a ...

'', '' Rumex conglomeratus'', ''

Alnus acuminata ''Alnus acuminata'' is a species of deciduous tree in the Betulaceae family. It is found in montane forests from central Mexico to Argentina.Zuloaga, F. O., O. N. Morrone, M. J. Belgrano, C. Marticorena & E. Marchesi. (eds.) 2008. Catálogo de la ...

'', '' Baccharis cf. latifolia'', '' Polygonum sp.'', '' Eleocharis sp.'', '' Carex sp.'', '' Rubus sp.'', '' Cuphea sp.''. Also '' Hydrocotyle ranunculoides'', ''

Lemna minor ''Lemna minor'', the common duckweed or lesser duckweed, is a species of aquatic freshwater plant in the subfamily Lemnoideae of the arum family Araceae. ''L. minor'' is used as animal fodder, bioremediator, for wastewater nutrient recovery, and ...

'', ''

Typha latifolia ''Typha latifolia'' (broadleaf cattail, bulrush, common bulrush, common cattail, cat-o'-nine-tails, great reedmace, cooper's reed, cumbungi) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus '' Typha''. It is found as a native plant species in North a ...

'' and ''

Juncus bogotensis ''Juncus'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants, commonly known as rushes. It is the largest genus in the family Juncaceae, containing around 300 species. Description Rushes of the genus ''Juncus'' are herbaceous plants that superfic ...

'' have been noted.Moreno et al., s.a., p.22

Fauna

;Mammals A mammal present in the wetland is the Bogotá savanna

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus '' Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ...

species '' Cavia anolaimae''. ;Amphibians Amphibians registered are among others the green dotted treefrog (''Hyla labialis'') and the cream-backed poison frog (''Colostethus subpunctatus'').Historia de los Humedales
/ref> ;Birds In Guaymaral, 43 and in Torca 24 bird species have been registered.Andrade & Benitez, s.a., p.8Andrade & Benitez, s.a., p.11 Birds spotted are among others the

saffron finch The saffron finch (''Sicalis flaveola'') is a tanager from South America that is common in open and semi-open areas in lowlands outside the Amazon Basin. They have a wide distribution in Colombia, northern Venezuela (where it is called "canario ...

(''Sicalis flaveola''),

yellow-billed cuckoo The yellow-billed cuckoo (''Coccyzus americanus'') is a cuckoo. Common folk-names for this bird in the southern United States are rain crow and storm crow. These likely refer to the bird's habit of calling on hot days, often presaging rain or th ...

(''Coccyzus americanus''), and

yellow-hooded blackbird The yellow-hooded blackbird (''Chrysomus icterocephalus'') is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in grassy and brush areas near water in northern South America, and is generally fairly common. It is sexually dimorphic, and th ...

(''Chrysomus icterocephalus bogotensis'').

References

Bibliography

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External links

*
Fundación Humedales de Bogotá
*
Conozca los 15 humedales de Bogotá
- El Tiempo {{Wetlands of Bogotá, state=expanded Wetlands of Bogotá