We report the synthesis and characterization of single precursors for, and the growth of, LiGaO2 films by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using single precursors containing lithium, gallium, and oxygen. The orientation and crystallinity of the as-grown films were greatly affected by the surface conditions of the substrates and growth temperature. The preferential growth of beta -LiGaO2 toward the [001] direction has been successfully performed on clean Si substrates obtained by annealing hydrogen terminated Si wafers at 700 degreesC. The LiGaO2(001) film may be used as a substrate for the growth of h-GaN films because the lattice mismatch between GaN(0001) and LiGaO2(001) is less than 1%. However, the orientations of the as-grown films on SiO2/Si substrates were found to be inconsistent showing growth in the [010], [001], or mixture of both directions with no preferential growth orientation. The optimum growth temperature was found to be 500 degreesC, while at lower temperatures the as-grown films were amorphous, and at higher temperatures the growth rate was observed to decrease abruptly.