Throughout the evolution of the angiosperm flower, developmental innovations have enabled the modification or elaboration of novel floral organs, thus enabling subsequent diversification and expansion into new niches, i.e. the formation of novel pollinator relationships. One such developmental innovation is the fusion of various floral organs to form complex structures. Multiple types of floral fusion exist; each type may be the result of different morphology and/or developmental processes and has likely evolved multiple times independently across the angiosperm tree of life. The development of fused organs is thought to be mediated by the NAM/CUC3 subfamily of NAC transcription factors, which mediate boundary formation during meristematic development. Throughout this study, I utilize the Zingiberales as a model lineage to investigate the ontogeny of floral fusion and how candidate NAM/CUC3 genes mediate transitions to fusion in various floral whorls. I first characterize the ontogeny of fusion in nine species across the order, identifying lineage specific fusion processes as well as larger pattern of evolutionary trajectory leading to the development of a highly synorganized, petaloid androecium that serves as the primary floral display in the ginger families. NAM/CUC3 expression was then characterized in developing flowers of Musa acuminata and Costus spicatus, two examples of a basal and more derived fusion phenotype in this order. NAM/CUC3 was expressed throughout the free petal, androecium, and gynoecium in Musa, indicating that function is conserved in this order and maintains boundaries between unfused organs. The same pattern of expression was observed in Costus spicatus, however NAM/CUC3 expression in the androecium was restricted to the fertile stamen, suggesting that a loss of expression in the rest of the androecium mediated the transition to a fused labellum in this lineage. Finally, both species were established in tissue culture, and a method of somatic embryogenesis was developed to generate CRISPR/Cas mediated knockout lines in future functional studies for this order.