Conservation
Solanum phoxocarpum fruits collected by the Kenya Seeds for Life project, waiting for the seeds to be prepared for storage. National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya. © Maria Vorontsova
Solanum phoxocarpum is not in danger of extinction because its habitat is protected by a network of National Parks in Kenya and Tanzania, including the Aberdare National Park (Kenya), Mount Kenya National Park (Kenya) and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania).
Trends
In spite of the protection offered by National Parks, populations of Solanum phoxocarpum are decreasing both inside and outside protected areas due to clearing for cultivation. During an expedition to Kenya in May 2009 scientists visited areas where this species has been recorded during the twentieth century, and in place of many forests there are now villages and fields (Vorontsova et al 2009).
Threats
Human activities such as cultivation and village building (Lambrechts et al 2003) have expanded in the areas surrounding the national parks and are potential threats to this species.
