Greek hyle—forest referring to the forest habitat where the genus occurs.
Body climbing, generally by aerial roots, epiphytic in nature, often to several metres long. Stems 3-angled, ridged or winged, segmented. Areoles mostly with short spines. Flowers nocturnal, funnel-shaped, white or red. Pericarpel and tube broad with more or less triangular scales that generally lack hairs in the axils. Fruit fleshy, spherical to ovoid with broad scales.
Climbing cacti up to several metres long; stems mostly 3-winged; pericarpel with triangular scales.
16-25 species from W Indies and tropical Americas.
Source: (1997). Cactaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
