In previous work, we observed that the helical cellulose coils reinforcing the vascular elements in Apium graveolens L. could be isolated by a gentle treatment with alkali and then with acid chlorite [1]. The long coils were chiral; only left handed helices were observed. This raises the question as to whether this chirality is species dependent, or whether, as in the helical winding of the S2 layer in woody plants, a single handedness is almost always observed. The leaf petioles of a selection of tree and plant species were examined, with the primary aim of checking the handedness of the helical coils by observation with a polarized light microscope. Preliminary examination of petioles of diverse tree species, including sugar maple, London plane, horse chestnut, tulip tree, ginko and paulownia, showed that they all contained long coiled structures surrounding the vessels, but it was sometimes difficult to determine the handedness of the coils due to their small diameter. In many cases, the coils were made up of multiple parallel strands, and left-handed helices predominated. The role of the coils is presumably to resist vessel collapse due to negative pressure in the vascular system, but the origin and significance of the handedness of the coils remains an open question