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It is common for botanists and plant ecologists to study the soil of rare plants by sampling the soil surface horizon and analyzing pH and a few other chemical properties, often looking for a "silver bullet" to explain rare plant distribution. It is rare in these studies to investigate the whole soil in a landscape context. However, multiple pedological studies of rare plants in the arid and semiarid climate of western North America's Colorado Plateau reveal a unique soil physical habitat where few other plants exist. These rare, endemic plants adapted and survived in soil environments and edaphic conditions that most plants are unable to survive in, effectively creating a competition-free zone. Shrubby reed-mustard (Schoenocrambe suffrutescens), Jones' waxy dogbane (Cycladenia humilis var. jonesii), Parachute beardtongue (Penstemon debilis), and Debeque phacelia (Phacelia submutica) all occur in shallow soils in distinct sedimentary rock strata. In the case of Schoenocrambe suffrutescens, the habitat was successfully modelled using remotely sensed and topographic data in order to locate new occurrences, and we believe there is potential for modelling potential habi tat for the other species. In some cases, the harsh soil physical environment was also associated with one or more chemical properties that are challenging for most common plants. Understanding where these rare endemic plants occur and how they persist fac ilitates rangeland planning decisions.