1, 3, 5-trinitro-1, 3, 5-triazacyclohexane (C3H6N6O6, RDX) with different dendrite morphologies has been prepared under the non-equilibrium state through re-crystallization on glass substrates. Different growth models of RDX crystals have been induced by the saturation degree of solution and additive. The growth processes are captured and investigated using in situ observations. A possible mechanism has been proposed to explain the formation of RDX dendrite. Crown Copyright (c) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.