Atypical high fluorescence anisotropy has been revealed in protic solvents for excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) prone 3-hydroxyflavone and some of its hydroxy derivatives. In non-protic solvents, however, the anisotropy values are low. The low and alike anisotropy values of 3-methoxyflavone in all the studied solvents and other experimental evidences ascribe the formation of hydrogen bond induced cage-like structures in case of the hydroxy compounds involving the probe and the solvent molecules to be responsible for the high values of fluorescence anisotropy in protic media. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.