Conostylis aculeata, commonly known as Prickly Conostylis, is a tufted perennial plant species in the family Haemodoraceae

Haemodoraceae

Haemodoraceae is a family of flowering plants. It is sometimes known as the "Bloodwort family". Primarily a Southern Hemisphere family, they are found in South Africa, Australia and New Guinea, and in the Americas Haemodoraceae is a family of flowering plants. It is sometimes known as the...

. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. Plants grow to between 5 and 60 cm high and produce yellow flowers between August and November in the species native range.

The species was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown

Robert Brown (botanist)

Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...

 in 1810 in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae.

A number of subspecies are recognised:

• C. aculeata R.Br. subsp. aculeata
• C. aculeata subsp. breviflora Hopper
• C. aculeata subsp. bromelioides (Endl.) J.W.Green
• C. aculeata subsp. cygnorum Hopper
• C. aculeata subsp. echinissima Hopper
• C. aculeata subsp. gracilis Hopper
• C.aculeata subsp. preissii (Endl.) J.W.Green
• C. aculeata subsp. rhipidion J.W.Green
• C. aculeata subsp. septentrionora Hopper
• C. aculeata subsp. spinuligera (Benth.) Hopper - Spiny Conostylis