In Mendel's early experiments with pea flowers, he found that one allele was dominant over the other. This accounted for why more purple plants flowered than white ones. You only need one allele of a dominant trait to inherit it. However, for a recessive gene to be apparent, then you need both alleles to be the same, from your mother's as well as your father's genetic code. In people, the presence of freckles is a dominant trait. The way you clasp your hands together and whether your ear lobes are attached to your head or not are also down to similar genetic traits.