diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/parsimonator/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/parsimonator/package.py
index b72525d94de458660ebb62288206648a3cfcb47b..4ebbac8498b2cda55b077580652074dbfff65590 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/parsimonator/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/parsimonator/package.py
@@ -3,66 +3,30 @@
 #
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: (Apache-2.0 OR MIT)
 
-from spack import *
-from spack.spec import ConflictsInSpecError
-
 
 class Parsimonator(MakefilePackage):
     """Parsimonator is a no-frills light-weight implementation for building
-       starting trees under parsimony for RAxML"""
+    starting trees under parsimony for RAxML.
+    """
 
     homepage = "http://www.exelixis-lab.org/"
     git      = "https://github.com/stamatak/Parsimonator-1.0.2.git"
 
     version('1.0.2', commit='78368c6ab1e9adc7e9c6ec9256dd7ff2a5bb1b0a')
 
-    variant('sse', default=False, description='Enable SSE in order to substantially speed up execution')
-    variant('avx', default=False, description='Enable AVX in order to substantially speed up execution')
-
-    conflicts('+avx', when='+sse')
-
     patch('nox86.patch')
 
-    def flag_handler(self, name, flags):
-        arch = ''
-        spec = self.spec
-        if spec.satisfies("platform=cray"):
-            # FIXME; It is assumed that cray is x86_64.
-            # If you support arm on cray, you need to fix it.
-            arch = 'x86_64'
-        if arch != 'x86_64' and spec.target.family != 'x86_64':
-            if spec.satisfies("+sse"):
-                raise ConflictsInSpecError(
-                    spec,
-                    [(
-                        spec,
-                        spec.architecture.target,
-                        spec.variants['sse'],
-                        '+sse is valid only on x86_64'
-                    )]
-                )
-            if spec.satisfies("+avx"):
-                raise ConflictsInSpecError(
-                    spec,
-                    [(
-                        spec,
-                        spec.architecture.target,
-                        spec.variants['avx'],
-                        '+avx is valid only on x86_64'
-                    )]
-                )
-        return (flags, None, None)
-
     @property
     def makefile_file(self):
         if self.spec.target.family != 'x86_64':
             return 'Makefile.nosse'
-        elif '+sse' in self.spec:
-            return 'Makefile.SSE3.gcc'
-        elif '+avx' in self.spec:
+
+        if 'avx' in self.spec.target:
             return 'Makefile.AVX.gcc'
-        else:
-            return 'Makefile.gcc'
+        elif 'sse3' in self.spec.target:
+            return 'Makefile.SSE3.gcc'
+
+        return 'Makefile.gcc'
 
     def edit(self, spec, prefix):
         makefile = FileFilter(self.makefile_file)
@@ -73,11 +37,9 @@ def build(self, spec, prefix):
 
     def install(self, spec, prefix):
         mkdirp(prefix.bin)
-        if self.spec.target.family != 'x86_64':
-            install('parsimonator', prefix.bin)
-        elif '+sse' in spec:
-            install('parsimonator-SSE3', prefix.bin)
-        elif '+avx' in spec:
+        if 'avx' in self.spec.target:
             install('parsimonator-AVX', prefix.bin)
+        elif 'sse3' in self.spec.target:
+            install('parsimonator-SSE3', prefix.bin)
         else:
             install('parsimonator', prefix.bin)