A simple solution-based method to prepare mainly flowerlike zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures using the ascorhate ion as a shape-directing/capping agent at relatively low temperature (ca. 30 and 60 degrees C) was described. However, we observed that different shapes of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures such as flowerlike, spindlelike, and spherical could be obtained with an increase in the synthesis temperature from 60 to 90 degrees C. The effects of other organic capping agents on the shape of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures were also studied. FTIR, FESEM, and XRD characterization were performed on the formed ZnO nanostructures to understand the role of ascorbate in the growth of flowerlike morphology. The nucleation and growth process can regulate by changing the metal precursor and ascorbate ion concentrations. We were able to identify intermediate nanostructures such as spherical/quasi-spherical and spindle that are very much on the pathway of formation of large, flowerlike ZnO nanostructures. Electron microscopy results indicated that these spherical/quasispherical ZnO nanoparticles might aggregate through oriented attachment to produce spindlelike and flowerlike nanostructures. On the basis of these results, a possible growth mechanism for the formation of flowerlike ZnO nanostruct tires was described. The optical properties of these differently shaped ZnO nanostructures were also described. The catalytic activities of the as-synthesized spherical and flowerlike ZnO nanostructures were tested in the Friedel Crafts acylation reaction of anthracene with benzoyl chloride. The catalysis results indicated that the catalytic activity of flowerlike ZnO nanostructures is slightly higher than the spherical counterpart.