I would question how unexpected this really was as its similar to the story of the squash. When we encountered it, it seemed obvious that those primitives were doing it all wrong. The selections seemed to be for seeds so we improved it until it had a much higher ratio of flesh. Subsequently it was discovered that the intent of a squash was a protein storage device, not a fruit based sugar storage system.
The primitives are the ones who wildcrafted it into both. :^)