GaN nano flowers were grown on various commercial substrates by a simple catalyst free chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. The size and shape of the nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influence of the substrate, growth temperature, and ammonia flow rate on the size and shape of the nano-flowers were investigated along with their anti-reflective and hydrophobic properties. The normal incident reflectivity measurements carried out on the nano structures showed very low (5%) reflectivity. The wettability of the surface investigated by the static contact angle of water droplet revealed their hydrophobic nature with a large contact angle of about 145 degrees. These results on catalysis-free nanostructures would be useful for anti-reflective surfaces/coatings in solar cell applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.