Melianthus major ugly duckling flowering

This young Melianthus major inflorescence lacks the commonly seen red and purple deep colouring. The blackish purple flower stalk is strongly developed from the stem-tip, the upper buds still nodding. 

The buds have yellow‑green or greenish cream sepals, not appearing set to turn deep coloured, or as red and purple as the fully open inflorescence is well-known to be. The furled petals above the sepals are pale chocolate brown as the sepals may be in the more conventional form.

Few of these plants bear flowers less red coloured, even fewer with hardly any of it (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Manning, 2007; iNaturalist).