The present invention is directed toward leaf lettuce varieties containing mutant allele VSTMA1 that exhibit tan seed color. The invention relates to the seeds, plants and plant parts of lettuce plants containing mutant allele VSTMA1 and to methods for producing a lettuce plant by crossing lettuce plants containing mutant allele VSTMA1 with itself or another lettuce cultivar. The invention further relates to methods for producing a lettuce plant containing mutant allele VSTMA1 containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic lettuce plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to lettuce cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from lettuce plants containing mutant allele VSTMA1, to methods for producing other lettuce cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from lettuce plants containing mutant allele VSTMA1 and to the lettuce plants, varieties, and their parts derived from the use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid lettuce seeds, plants, and plant parts produced by crossing lettuce plants containing mutant allele VSTMA1 with another lettuce cultivar.