GREAT idea! Thanks! I knew how to do it, but it had not occurred to me. FYI - in Excel, select/higlight all the info in all the columns (all the way across) - then when you sort, you select which column you want to sort by. I use Excel ALL the time at work.

Dear Luke, I am so excited to tell you that I just found this link for you! (Only a plant person could get excited about a database, right?) This is a not-for-profit org, and I use the site ALL the time to look up every plant. And it's so perfect for you in Australia, since the database is global! And now I just discovered that you can download the whole thing. If you do, then you can just use the asci text version of the thing to import into your excel program. Here's how: Open Excel. File, Open, Files of Type: *.txt, highlight the file, Open, Type: Delimited, File Origin: Windows ANSI, Next, Delimiters: Tab, Text Qualifier: ", Next, Finish. If it does not work the first time, then continue to change the parameters, one at a time, like, try Delimiters: comma, etc. Well, I hope you find it useful. In the meantime, I will keep running around in circles in my empty room waving my arms in the air shouting, "I am a genius!" at the computer screen. :-> Very truly yours, Evelyn P.S. Thanks for the info about the software for the PDA. I would like to try that someday, now that I am in the league of the geniuses! Plants for a Future (PFAF) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/D_search.html http://www.pfaf.org/database/D_obtain.html are a registered charity; we are compiling a database, which currently consists of approximately 7000 species of plants. We research and provide information on edible and otherwise useful plants suitable for growing outdoors in a temperate climate. Downloading the Database We offer several methods of downloading the database. Internet Download: Download now! Includes the latest Sept 03 version of the database and gallery of 400 photos. To download the database you first need to make a payment through PayPal once the payment has been made you will be taken to the download page. Just click on one of the images: Standard Home User: £35 $65 Low income/unwaged: £15 $27 Commercial: £100. $180 CD-ROM By Post: If you want us to send you the database on CD-ROM please write to: a minimum donation of £10 is required to cover our costs. We can only accept payment in pound sterling from UK bank acounts or payment via There are six versions of the database, all contain the same data, its only the interface which is different. The CDROM comes with all versions. Here is a link that might be useful: Plants for a Future Database

Maybe time to start moving this down?

Diane, I'm sorry I did not respond earlier. The only reason I want to know who did not send in 2008 and 2009 is to not have those same people in our 2010 group. I think it would be wonderful if someone might volunteer to take the name of some who did not receive this year or last year and would make that block for them. Once we get into 2010, I will try to do this on a volunteer basis but just for that year - matching people if there are any problems. As for 2008 and 2009, I don't want to try to play catch up before I even start. It woudl be very thoughtful if someone wants to take on matching for the months gone by. Jeanne