Colour Change With Runner Bean Seeds.

Why don't you send one to the RHS and ask about it? You may have a new bean! Could be exciting!

Are the flowers a different colour too? I agree with Spritzhenry about sending it in - you never know!

This happened to me last year! same variety - so I'm afraid it's just a sport back to one of the parents. I am looking for the name of the variety which produced the mainly pink seeds with few blotches.

Exactly the same happened with ours. We grow and dry many varieties year on year. One year I selected some very pale seeds with very few dark markings and some with very few purple markings from the red flowering "runners." The pale ones came back pale seeds, the dark ones came back either the usual mottled or very dark blue/black that look exactly like yours. It only happened when we were selective in the colouration of the red flowering ones.

We also grow the pink flowering, white seeded variety of runner and there also appears to be a cross over between these. Occasionally white seeds produce red flowers and mottled purple/black seeds.

We are trying the same experiment with borlotto type beans. Some are mainly dark brown with cream spots, while most are speckled cream and brown. Next year we are sowing separate rows of each variation.

Was very happy when I discovered that other people are also selectively planting saved seed variations.

They all make great bean soup!