Until this winter, I only knew Japanese umbrella pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) as a handsome but dinky conifer I’d seen at garden centers selling for what could feed a family of four for a month.

Then I learned in Phyllis Reynolds’ Trees of Greater Portland (Macrophyllum Press, 2013) that Portland is home to several mature specimens and that I could see this tree in its full glory. Like a kid with a treasure map, I recently visited all four locations she listed and got a whole new perspective on this unusual and fascinating tree.

I visited this pair of trees on Northeast Thompson Street on December 6 and was floored. I’d never seen an umbrella pine taller than 4 or 5 feet, and here were two giants towering over this two-story (plus attic) house. Amazing. However, there was soon to be an unfortunate turn of events.