Kalmar "Ariocarpus" tana nufin wani nau'in ƙananan ƙananan ƙananan, masu girma, da ƙananan cacti waɗanda suke da asali a Mexico da sassan Texas. Sunan “Ariocarpus” ya samo asali ne daga kalmomin Helenanci “arios,” ma’ana “mai tsarki sosai,” da “karpos,” ma’ana “’ya’yan itace,” wataƙila yana nufin muhimmancin addini na shuka da ƙananan ’ya’yan itacen da ake ci. Nau'in da ke cikin wannan nau'in suna da kima sosai a wurin masu tarawa saboda kamanninsu na musamman, wanda ya haɗa da lebur, jiki mai siffar diski da kauri, lulluɓi mai kauri wanda ke taimaka musu su tsira a cikin ƙazamar mazauninsu.