A facile, low-cost and templateless wet-chemical method was reported for the mass synthesis of Ag dendrites with rod-like tips which were characterized by various methods. The columniform tips protruded in random directions, of which the diameters were similar. A series of experiments were carried out to explore the effect of sodium citrate on the morphology of the obtained Ag nanostructures, and it was demonstrated that the concentration of sodium citrate was important for the formation of the cylindrical tips on the Ag dendrites. A possible mechanism was proposed to explain the role of sodium citrate in the synthesis of Ag dendrites with rod-like tips. Based on the roughness caused by the Ag dendrites, a superhydrophobic surface was fabricated in a simple procedure on a glass substrate, and the contact angle of the surface was as high as 156.4°. According to similar procedures, superhydrophobic surfaces were easily attained on a DVD disc and commercial aluminium foil, indicating the as-prepared Ag dendrites can be used to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces on various smooth substrates.