Atriplex are C-plants, with a characteristic leaf anatomy (kranz anatomy). The genus "Atriplex" is distributed nearly worldwide from subtropical to temperate and to subarctic regions. Most species-rich are Australia, North America, South America and Eurasia. Many species are halophytes and are adapted to dry environments with salty soils. The genus evolved in Middle Miocene, the C-photosynthesis pathway developed about 14.1-10.9 million years ago, when the climate became increasingly dry. The genus diversified rapidly and spread over the continents. The C"Atriplex" colonized North America probably from Eurasia during the Middle/Late Miocene, about 9.8-8.8 million years ago, and later spread to South America.
Sečovlje Saltworks covers in the mouth of the Dragonja. Of particular importance are halophytes - the plants that require high salt concentrations for growing - among them "Salicornia europea", "Arthrochnemum fruticosum", "Halimione portulacoides", "Limonium angustifolium", "Artemisia caerulescens", "Suaeda maritima", and the golden samphire ("Inula crithmoides"). Over 280 bird species have been spotted in the Sečovlje Saltworks, at least four of them having their only nesting place here. The saltworks are home to numerous invertebrates, like shrimps and shells, and vertebrates. Among insects, the bee species "Tetraloniella nana" and "Pseudoapis bispinosa", and the bug "Dimorphopterus blissoides" have been found in the Sečovlje Saltworks.