Yavia cryptocarpa is a species of cactus (family Cactaceae) and the only species of the newly discovered genus Yavia. The genus is named after Argentina's department Yavi, Jujuy Province, where the plant is endemic to sparsely vegatated rocky slopes. The plant is also sometimes put in the tribe Trichocereeae.The species 'cryptocarpa' refers to the plant being a cryptocarp. This means that the fruits are formed inside the plant's body, thus being only visible when the plant shrinks in the drought period.