The outcome of a recessive genetic trait occurs when an individual inherits two copies of a recessive allele, one from each parent. This will manifest as the phenotype associated with that trait. In cases where only one recessive allele is present alongside a dominant allele, the dominant trait will be expressed. For example, in the case of flower color in pea plants, a recessive allele for white flowers will only show if the plant has two copies of the recessive allele, while the dominant allele for purple flowers will mask it.