We carry out one-step vapor phase growth of high quality Zn2GeO4 nanorods array to provide insights into the growth mechanism of such ternary oxide nanostructures. The morphology and microstructure of these nanorods are investigated carefully. Under certain conditions, the nanorods follow the oriented attachment growth which is unusual in vapor-based growth. Each nanorod consists of many nanocrystals aligned along the [110] direction. The nanorods show strong deep ultraviolet absorption around 260 nm and broad longlife green luminescence around 490 nm. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.