Silane was successfully used to grow SiOx nanowires by vapor-liquid-solid at low temperature ( < 600 degrees C) using in-situ reduced tin oxide catalyst. The temperature of catalyst reduction was found to have a significant impact on the morphology, which was mainly composed of nanowires cocoons and bamboo-like microtubes. Experimental results suggest that the catalyst drop size is probably at the origin of the morphology selection. Growth mechanisms are proposed to explain these results. For long growth time, partial etching of the nanowires was observed due to SiO formation. Growing at very low temperature ( <400 degrees C) was found to significantly reduce the growth rate while improving the shape and size control. PL measurements evidenced defects in SiOx nanowires coming from oxygen deficiency. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.