Spikelets bulbiferous; florets bulb-forming. Glumes usually glaucous, not lustrous; anthers usually aborted late in development or not developed.
Poa stenantha var. vivipara is the common form of the species in the Aleutian Islands; it extends eastward to Sitka, Alaska. It differs from bulbiferous forms of P. arcticain its lack of rhizomes, more open sheaths, and usually glaucous and scabrous panicle branches.