Complex nanostructures and nano-assemblies have exhibited their potential application in the fabrication of future molecular machines and molecular devices. Liquid phase pulsed laser ablation is an easy, versatile, environmental friendly and rapidly growing method for the synthesis of nanostructured materials. Nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of zinc rod placed on the bottom of glass vessel containing methanol is used to produce colloidal solution of drop shaped zinc oxide quantum dots and their self-assembly into various dendritic nanostructures. UV-vis absorption, diffuse reflectance, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques are used for the optical, microscopic, structural and defect diagnosis of obtained colloidal quantum dots and their nano-assemblies. The average length, width and aspect ratio of drop shaped zinc oxide quantum dots are 6 +/- 2.4 nm, 3.5 +/- 1.4 nm and 1.69 +/- 0.4 nm, respectively. Careful investigation of assemblies shows that most of them have linear growth, i.e. growth in longitudinal direction is higher as compared to the transverse direction with three types of classifications as (i) linear axis symmetrical branching, (ii) linear axis asymmetrical branching and (iii) curvilinear axis asymmetrical branching. Photoluminescence spectrum has emission peaks in UV, violet, blue and green spectral region corresponding to the excitonic and various defect related emissions. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.