Yes, Russia is immense. Which means that there are wet areas, dry areas, areas of high and low altitudes, rich and poor soil, different pH, etc. While a birch is still a birch in any condition, the environmental effects on that birch will make it roughly unique. Similarly, a human is a human, physically, but nutrition, environment, influences, et al will play an important part in making each different.

Regardless, I was talking about how I formed my opinion of Bazarov. Imo, his comment was inaccurate, and I felt that Turgenev meant for us to read Bazarov that way (at that time, as Camilla keeps pointing out).

It may help to keep in mind that those are the kind of things that flash through a geeky horticulturist's mind. It's not as though I sat there for hours trying to make that mean something.