>> RickCorey, I believe that your thin tan seeds were never fertile (or viable) to begin with.
Thank you, Rick, that's very possible. The plant might be sterile, self-sterile, or just not well-pollinated. And knowing that a green or partly-brown pod might already have viable seeds changes my seed-saving strategy significantly.
That single plant appears to be a reversion from a "stabilized hybrid" from several different C. species.
Columbine, McKana Giants Blend, Aquilegea hybrida
The blooms were so much darker in color and simpler in form from the original plants that I asked a horticulturist at Botanical Interests. He said that it was pretty stable, but may have reverted to looking like C. vulgaris).
"Thanks for the question. McKana Giants columbine is an OP variety. The hybrida in the name refers to the parentage that created it long ago from a few other species. It has been stabilized for quite a while now. With a blend of colors and an OP genetic profile, recombination or reversion is possible. Your description is similar to A. vulgaris, one of the original parents. This could be a case of reversion or expression of older dominant genes. I hope this helps. "
