Stipa lepida) is a species of grass known by the common names foothill needlegrass,[1][2] foothills nassella,[3] foothill stipa, small-flowered stipa, small-flowered needlegrass, and smallflower tussockgrass.

[2] This is a perennial bunchgrass growing up to a meter tall.

The flat or rolled leaf blades are up to 23 centimeters long.

This grass grows in chaparral and grassland habitat.

[4] This species and several others were recently transferred from genus Stipa into Nassella, mainly on the basis of their "strongly convolute lemmas".