Plants loosely tufted. Culms 20–45 cm. Ligules 5–7 mm. Panicles 7–12 cm; branches smooth or sparsely to moderately scabrous. Spikelets 5–7 mm, not bulbiferous, lustrous; florets normal; rachilla internodes 1.5–2 mm. Upper glumes 5–6 mm; calluses usually with a crown of 1–2 mm hairs; lemmas 5.5–7 mm, sparsely hairy, hairs mostly longer than 0.5 mm, apices acute; anthers 2–2.8 mm. 2n = unknown.
Poa hartzii subsp. alaskana grows on the North Slope of Alaska, mainly in sandy places. It generally resembles robust plants of P. hartzii subsp. hartzii, but has a looser habit, longer lemmas, and well-developed anthers.