Growth of a crystalline solid (e.g., metal) from a melt along certain preferred crystallographic orientations or easy growth directions, resulting in a tree-like appearance in the grain. Dendrites typically contain primary and secondary branches or arms, and may even contain tertiary branches, all of which are aligned with easy growth directions. In welds made in alloys, dendritic growth can exhibit any or all of several substructures including: equiaxed dendritic, columnar dendritic, and cellular dendritic. See METALLURGY and WELD METAL.
