Uniform α-Fe2O3 submicron-sized flowers have been synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process conducted at 160°C for 24h. The crystalline structure and morphology of the as-synthesized powder have been characterized by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The results revealed that the highly crystalline α-Fe2O3 submicro-flowers were composed of nanospheres with an average size of 20–30nm. The electrochemical performance as anode material for lithium-ion batteries was further evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and by electrochemical impedance and charge–discharge measurements. It was demonstrated that the material could provide an initial reversible capacity of 959.6mAh/g at a current density of 20mA/g over the voltage range from 0.01 to 3.0V. The capacity retention upon the 50th cycle was 44.4 and 35.9% at 60 and 100mA/g, respectively. The superior electrochemical performance may be resulted from the high surface area and the small and uniform grain size.