And what about the rhododendrons the political scientist encountered? They included species, most named only later, such as rhododendron augustinii, R. fargesii, R. sutchuenense, R. planetum, R. praevernum, R. calophytum, R. hypoglaucum, R. przewalskii, and R. purdomii. If not all were named, how did Bobby deduce that these were the species mentioned in the letters? To be completely transparent, he hadnât matched them all to the political scientistâs copious descriptions, which were admittedly either vague (as if written in a hurry) or clouded by enthusiasm (as if written in the rapture of the landscape, to the detriment of the writerâs focus on relevant taxonomic details). But he had, Bobby insisted, taken a list of Shaanxi species from Rhododendrons of China (not an easy volume to find; in fact Bobby suspected it was endemic to the gift shop at the Rhododendron Species Garden in Federal Way, Washington) and had diligently cross-referenced each entry with his knowledge of the elevation and plant hardiness zone of the Yanâan area, as nearly as he could guess the latter for 1944. Would his future readers care about such details? The true detective, Bobby replied, leaves no stone unturned, a maxim he applies to botanical history no less than to crime. #amwriting #fiction #words #wordporn #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #novel #novelwriting #novelist #firstnovel #novelinprogress #noir #crimefiction #crimenovel #detective #mystery #mysterybooks #mysterynovel #amwritingmystery https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzs9T5sl39s/?igshid=2kizwsaxuh6f
